Can Skipping a Lunch Affect Teens?

You've probably told your teen that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It's true that a morning meal starts off the day off, but eating lunch is vital too. Skipping a meal in the middle of the day can have consequences to her health and in the classroom. The occasional missed lunch probably isn't need for alarm, but if your teen regularly forgoes her noon meal, you might need to worry.

  1. Brain Power

    • A nutritious lunch helps your teen's neurotransmitters in her brain fire properly, which helps as she sits in the classroom learning new material. Skipping lunch means that your teen's brain won't have the protein and fat it needs to help her concentrate on school work and comprehend the information presented. Even one skipped lunch can make it difficult for your teen to focus at school and might interfere with concentration during after-school sports, extracurricular activities and homework.

    Lack of Energy

    • Teens rely on calories and nutrients to give them energy to learn and grow. Complex carbohydrates are a teen's main source of fuel, so skipping lunch means her levels slip and she might feel tired and lethargic as the afternoon progresses. Protein and healthy fats also contain calories for energy and should be present at lunchtime. Failing to refuel in the middle of the day means your teen isn't getting these important nutrients and fatigue might set in, which can interfere with school work, sports and simply getting through until dinner rolls around.

    Nutrient Intake

    • The occasional skipped lunch isn't likely to result in nutrient deficiencies. However, doing so regularly can have a negative impact on your teen's health. Children in their teen years need adequate amounts of many nutrients, including calcium, protein and iron, for normal growth and development as well as good overall health. Forgoing lunch lowers the amount of nutrients your teen takes in over the course of a day and, over time, skipping lunch can translate into deficiencies that cause a range of health issues, including bone problems, anemia and lowered immunity.

    Overeating

    • If your teen skips lunch, chances are she's ravenous at dinner. This can result in overeating, notes the Produce for Better Health Foundation. Skipping meals and eating too much at others interferes with metabolism, which can cause weight gain. Instead of skipping lunch and gorging at dinner, your teen should eat lunch and perhaps even have a snack in the afternoon. This regulates her hunger levels and metabolism and makes it much more likely that she'll have normal eating habits at other meals, which will aid in weight control.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • Food and Adolescent Acne
      More than 80% of teenagers have acne, so if your youngster manages to get through adolescence with no more than a couple of skin blemishes, she’s one of the lucky few. Contrary to what most people believe, acne is not caused by chocolate, fried foods
    • The Female Athlete Triad
      The Female Athlete TriadThe female athlete triad describes a syndrome of eating disorder (anorexia), lack of a period (amenorrhea), and thinning bones (osteoporosis). The triad is common and becoming more and more recognized in girls and women who wo
    • Extreme Diets for Teens
      The teenage years are often defined by a number of hormonal, emotional, and physical changes. As a result, many teens are subject to body image issues and resort to extreme diets as a remedy. In order to prevent your teenager from developing bulimia