1. Distraction

    According to Kristin Kirkpatrick, the manager of wellness nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic, the brain runs mainly on glucose, or sugar. When the body is low on glucose (which often occurs after skipping a meal), you lose your ability to focus. This can be detrimental for students, as being at your peak in class is essential for quality learning. Besides the internal distraction, hearing your stomach rumble repeatedly for 45 minutes in class can be quite amusing…and slightly undesirable.

2. Essential Energy

    The human body runs on energy obtained from food – and in order to get this energy, we have to eat! Skipping lunch eliminates this opportunity for many individuals, resulting in a sharp drop in blood sugar levels – and a sharp drop in energy. Though students may argue that they can snack throughout the day or between classes, only a well-balanced meal can provide the body with the varied source of nutrients and energy that it needs.

3. Interference with normal mental and physical development

    If you’re like me and would like to grow a few more inches taller, you need to be eating at least three healthy and balanced meals each day. Skipping meals interferes with normal mental and physical development. It starves bones and muscles of the proper nutrients needed to grow strong.

4. Stress

    The body compensates for the lack of glucose after skipped meals by releasing hormones, such as adrenaline, as an alternative energy source. If skipped meals are a regular occurrence, the repeated release of these hormones puts immense stress on the body, often leading to more serious illnesses.

5. Susceptible to Sickness

    There are countless illnesses associated with the bad habit of skipping meals, including but not limited to: heart disease, anxiety, depression, diabetes, and chronic headaches. These are no fun for anyone, but eating on a regular meal schedule can easily lower your risk!

6. Fatigue

    Logically, low energy results in feelings of fatigue. Though many students may think they can make it through a day (homework and extracurricular activities included) without eating lunch, they will find that they are less productive and more tired soon after the nonexistent meal.

7. Hangry Animals

     The term “hangry” is defined as the state of being so hungry that the lack of food causes one to become angry. One can avoid this universally experienced feeling by eating regular meals throughout the day, a practice that proves difficult if skipped lunches are a habit. And to add this vicious cycle, according to a study done by Cornell University, people who skip meals are 31% more likely to buy more junk food when hungry.

    Advisor and Psychology teacher, Mrs. Miller, states that “skipping lunch to complete classwork (ultimately to increase G.P.A), actually is ineffective, as the ability to think clearly wanes, as well as the ability to concentrate.” Mrs. Miller always tells her advisees to make-up work after lunch, as after eating, an individual has been replenished in both energy and nutrients.

In addition, Flik Dining dietitian, Ana Forte, and Executive Chef, Paul Matthews, both argue that “lunch is necessary for success.” They would like to see more kids sitting down and spending time to enjoy a balanced meal, as they believe a 45 minute lunch period should be a “true break to enjoy healthy eating.” Matthews related lunch to a lumberjack sharpening his axe – lunch is necessary for long-term success, just as a sharp axe is needed for a productive day chopping wood.