MyPlate

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We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation understood it (possibly just for its deliciousness)! But how many of us actually eat it on a daily basis? And unfortunately, that cup of coffee doesn’t really count as breakfast.

A 2005 study found that 35% of college students do not eat any kind of meal in the morning. This is a bit more common with men than women.

Many students skip this meal due to lack of time or because it has become a habit to rush to class on an empty stomach.

“I know it’s probably not a good idea, but I’ve gotten used to it,” explains a second-year UNC student. “I usually study late and I would rather sleep an extra 20 minutes than wake up to make breakfast.”

While college students may lack time, it is still very important to eat in the morning. What kind of impact does this have if you decide to skip breakfast?

Your grades will take a hit! Your brain needs food to function, specifically glucose. Things like toast, cereal, and fruit are good sources of this. A number of studies found a link between academic performance and breakfast. Those that ate breakfast scored noticeably higher on tests than those that did not eat breakfast. Other studies have found that when you’re hungry, you tend to be more forgetful. If you want those A’s, you should start with breakfast.

You’ll be cranky. When your body is running on empty, your blood sugar drops and your cortisol (the stress hormone) levels spike. Your mood will suffer, and it’ll make it hard to sit through an entire lecture. Being hangry is a real thing!

Your metabolism slows down. Breakfast helps to rev up your metabolism. Without food in your system, especially at the beginning of your day, your body goes into protection mode and works to conserve calories, rather than burning it. In prolonged cases, it causes wasting of your muscles.

You’ll be more at risk for certain diseases. A number of studies found links between missing breakfast and increased risk of weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes. Yes, skipping breakfast can cause weight gain.

An ideal breakfast is balanced. The Clinical Nutrition Specialist at Campus Health, Antonia Hartley, often recommends using the MyPlate for just that reason.

Image courtesy of ChooseMyPlate.gov. — Image courtesy of ChooseMyPlate.gov

“I tell my clients to choose a starch (like toast, a tortilla, or granola), choose a protein (like peanut butter, eggs, or yogurt), and choose a fruit or veggie (like a banana, spinach or berries),” Hartley advises. “Putting together any three of these takes two minutes tops, especially since you can scramble an egg in the microwave.”

If you’re short on time in the morning, there many other quick breakfast recipes. There’s really no excuse to skip breakfast in the morning.

Justin Chu is the Information and Communication Program Assistant at UNC Student Wellness and a Master of Public Health graduate student with a focus in Health Behavior at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He previously worked as a nutritionist in the clinical, community, and commercial settings after earning his bachelor’s in Clinical Nutrition at the University of California at Davis.

is-butter-a-carb — Image courtesy of quickmeme.

How many calories do I need?

Should I be eating more protein?

The answer: It depends. And there’s a lot of misunderstanding about nutrition.

For many people, the nutrition facts found on the back of food packages are confusing. Because they are meant for the general population, they often fail to produce helpful information for individuals who each have unique dietary needs. For example, nutrition facts are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, but not everyone needs a 2,000 calorie diet. What you need to eat to stay healthy might be different than someone else. Your individual needs are based on your gender, age, size, physical activity level, and many other factors.

You may be thinking that structuring your diet based on all of these factors sounds complicated. Luckily, there’s good news! According to Antonia “Toni” Hartley, a registered dietitian at UNC Campus Health Services, most students only need to follow one simple rule to eat healthy: MyPlate.

What is MyPlate exactly? It’s an easy nutrition guide. It shows what your plate should look like with the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. You may notice that it’s similar to the Food Pyramid that was once previously used.

Focus on filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, with the other half equally with grains and protein. “If you follow the MyPlate recommendations, you’re likely to a balanced meal that meets your nutrition requirements,” explains Toni Hartley.

Also, using the nutrition facts to count your calories is rather difficult for most people, and not all foods have easily assessable nutrition information. Unless you have a special dietary and medical needs, many experts will advise people to not use it.

And surprisingly, some of the information presented in nutrition facts may be incorrect! The labels are allowed to be 20% off. This means the 100-calorie snack pack you’re eating may be closer to 120 calories.

Using MyPlate is much easier than counting calories, and leads you to more likely to lead to a balanced diet.

If you are interested in receiving more information about nutrition, make an appointment with Nutrition Services at Campus Health Services.

Justin Chu is the Information and Communication Program Assistant at UNC Student Wellness and a Master of Public Health graduate student with a focus in Health Behavior at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He previously worked as a nutritionist in the clinical, community, and commercial settings after earning his bachelor’s in Clinical Nutrition at the University of California at Davis.