My family always ate dinner together. But breakfast was another story — especially during the school year. Usually, I grabbed a bowl of cereal or made some toast. Later on, microwaved eggs became a go-to. And bananas were pretty much meant to be a great portable breakfast. However, it turns out that by adopting this schedule, I may have done a bit of a number on my body confidence.
Breakfast? Body image? Let us dive a little deeper into what we mean.
I’ll admit, I’ve had body image issues pretty much my whole life. I was either too big, or too skinny. I’ve built up a ton of confidence in the last ten years, but controlling portions and adding healthy greens to each dish is still an everyday challenge. Also, I’ve tried to make sitting with family during breakfast a priority. Turns out, communal breakfast time could mean all the difference.
A new study revealed that sitting down with your family during breakfast may actually help boost your body positivity. The study focused on 12,600 students who literally lived in every state in America. Studying breakfast habits, it became clear that eating breakfast, in general, was great for confidence.
Because, uh. Let’s admit it. It’s the “most important meal of the day,” but also the easiest to skip.
It’s not just sitting down for a proper breakfast. It’s also hanging out with your parents and siblings while you eat, instead of just rushing out the door.
Virginia Ramseyer-Winter, director of MU’s Center for Body Image Research and Policy, helped with the study.
According to this video put together of the findings, Ramseyer-Winter stated that eating together as a family “might have a significant impact on the well-being of adolescents.”
Better Breakfast? Better Body Image. from Mizzou News on Vimeo.
Ramseyer-Winter also believes that if you skip breakfast, you may be more distracted at school.
She stated that children generally work better when hunger isn’t an issue. Which makes total sense.
Even though it’s good to think that family breakfast may improve the overall relationship teens have with their bodies, how easy is it to sit everyone down at once?
Especially if there are two working parents in the mix.
You may be expecting a huge and nearly impossible spread, as you’d find at a big Sunday brunch.
But really, if you plan ahead, a family breakfast could actually be possible.
It’s easier said than done, but if you’re a teen who’d like to give this plan a try, consider saving some time in the morning by planning your outfit and school necessities the night before.
Then, look up some time-saving breakfasts. The study doesn’t say you need to eat a full stack of pancakes, poached eggs, quiche, and bacon to reap the benefits.
One of the best is egg muffins.
Not only can a batch last a week, but everyone in the family can customize their own.
Avocado toast, or oatmeal with berries, are two other good suggestions.
In general, anything you can make quickly will make this new breakfast plan easier to follow.
Breakfast together will also help you learn more about food.
Sure, there’ll be some days when a bowl of Corn Pops is your best option — that’s just life.
But when you experiment with food together, you’ll learn what your body needs in order to function at its best.
It’s also a great way to learn a few new cooking skills.
Maybe every family member can take on a day for breakfast responsibility, making it even more fun.
Another good reason that’d back Ramseyer-Winter’s theory is that when you grab a Pop Tart to go, you might not actually mentally process that as being breakfast.
You learn more about having a meal when you sit down and enjoy food with others.
Nothing against Pop Tarts. I mean, who can hate on these.
But, as an everyday option, it’s not really your best choice.
It’s easy to eat, but may make you feel hungry and drained before lunch hits.
Another plus for family breakfasts is the fact that it’s always nice to squeeze in more time together.
Mentally, it may be good to boost everyone’s spirits before a school day.
Fed my whole family breakfast on a school day! #thatsamfwin 🙌🏼
— Anastascia Martinez (@Mas_Stass) March 26, 2019
Personally, I learned a lot more about nutrition as an adult.
Since when you grow up, your metabolism isn’t what it used to be.
So, that may be another healthy bonus.
Parents who serve up breakfast for their whole family may end up knowing a bit more about healthy cooking tricks, and the importance of protein over sugar.
