BALANCING BREAKFAST

Aaron Parker knows how important it is to eat a healthy breakfast every morning.

But the chances of him eating breakfast aren't too good -- especially on school days.

"I don't eat breakfast because I don't have enough time between waking up and driving to school," says Parker, a 17-year-old senior at Centennial High School. "When I do eat, it's usually milk and cereal."

He says that's only about three times a week.

Parker says he feels the difference when he doesn't eat. He is less energetic and apt to participate in class discussions than if he had eaten a hearty meal.

"I think time is a major factor (in the lack of teenagers' good breakfast habits)," says University of Nevada, Las Vegas nutrition professor Molly Michelman. "Teens today are extremely busy. So many activities and demands are placed on them, and some work as well. Sometimes they just don't make the time. They opt to press 'snooze' and sleep a few more minutes, and skip that first meal of the day."

Alexis Smith, a Centennial junior, recognizes the benefits of eating a balanced meal in the morning.

"I definitely have a lot more energy when I eat in the morning," says Smith, 17. "It's surprising how many students, including myself, don't eat breakfast. I never eat a full breakfast. I'll sometimes have an energy bar on the way to school."

Michelman says that a common misconception is that breakfast has to be the standard eggs and bacon, or a bowl of cereal. She says that it can be something quick, such as a cereal bar and soy milk, a yogurt smoothie, or a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich.

For a teenager who doesn't like breakfast food, she advises leftovers -- a piece of cold veggie pizza or turkey and cheese in pita bread.

"Teens will see how it affects their athletic and academic performance, their mood, their appearance, and then they'll hopefully quickly realize that (eating breakfast) is important," Michelman says. "A teen that skips breakfast and then doesn't get enough calcium throughout the day may be compromising developing appropriate bone density, making them at greater risk for osteoporosis."

The American Dietetic Association calls breakfast the most important meal of the day.

The association goes on to say in a 2002 report that "breakfast is essential to the nutritional health of children and has a pronounced effect on ensuring overall dietary quality and dietary adequacy of energy intake and essential vitamins and minerals."

Centennial English teacher Melissa Hernandez says she can tell who eats breakfast in the morning and who doesn't in her first class of the day. Students who don't eat breakfast have trouble grasping specific details and concepts.

"Somebody is just kind of lethargic," Hernandez says. "You can tell by their expressions; you see who is paying attention and who isn't."

However, she understands why the students are passing on breakfast.

"It's a time issue."