Cut or Gut? Skip or Sip? Should You Skip Meals?

For a good number of students and teachers in MGC New Life Christian Academy, it’s a normal occurrence to skip meals—some skip breakfast because it’s inconvenient for them, while others might skip lunch because they want to lose weight. This, coupled with the trend of intermittent fasting (IF), has resulted in an increasing number of people who regularly skip meals. Although it may seem like a harmless way to shave a few minutes off your morning routine, skipping meals can do more damage than most realize.

There are many reasons young people might want to skip meals. In some cases, it’s as simple as wanting to get more sleep or they just do not feel hungry at the moment. However, more often, the issue runs deeper. While surveys show that many skip meals because of issues such as poverty, a correlation between social media and skipping breakfast has also been noted. Additionally, other factors such as mental health, stress, and depression can also contribute to bad eating habits.

Skipping meals may seem like an easy way to avoid gaining weight or eating unappealing food, but it can have serious consequences, especially for students. When one skips meals, it’s not just the stomach that suffers—it’s the brain too. Meals are essential for providing the brain with glucose, the fuel it needs to focus and process information. Without it, students may experience mental fog, making it harder to pay attention in class or recall information during a test.

Skipping meals also means missing out on key nutrients that are vital for growth and development. Proteins, vitamins, and minerals are the building blocks for everything, from healthy muscles to a strong immune system. When students regularly miss meals, they’re more likely to feel tired, get sick, and even experience mood swings. The temporary benefits of skipping meals generally don't outweigh the physical and mental costs.

However, adults, unlike children and adolescents, have completed their critical growth phase and can adapt more easily to fluctuations in intake. Due to this, some adults intentionally adopt structured fasting methods like IF, which involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. Certain studies suggest that IF offers benefits like improved blood sugar and better metabolic health. For example, some IF methods involve eating within an 8-hour window and fasting for 16 hours, or following a five-day-eating, two-day-fasting pattern. However, IF is not a universally beneficial practice, even for adults. For instance, it isn’t recommended for pregnant women and those who are malnourished, have low blood sugar, or have been diagnosed with eating disorders, as it can lead to nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, irritability, and, in some cases, unhealthy relationships with food. Furthermore, consistently skipping meals without proper planning can have long-term negative effects on metabolism and overall well-being.

Skipping a couple of meals every now and then might not seem like a big deal and can even show short-term benefits, but it may have many long-term effects on a person’s well-being. For students and the youth in general, consistently consuming proper meals is important to ensure emotional well-being and proper development. However, for adults, skipping meals can have both positive and negative effects depending on their lifestyle, age, and other health conditions. Ultimately, when deciding whether or not to skip meals, it is essential to carefully consider the impact it can have on our emotional, mental, and physical state, especially for students, who may be affected greatly by this once they reach adulthood.