How is Skipping Meals Harmful for the Child's Health

Children who skip meals don't get enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

According to a study, "Meal Skipping Children in Low-Income Families and Community Practice Implications," skipping meals in low-income families was crucially associated with lower nutrition and health status. It can also lead to poor school performance and has negative effects on children's physical and academic aspects.

Aino-Maija Eloranta, a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Biomedicine and Physiology at the University of Eastern Finland, and her colleagues conducted the study involving 512 boys and girls enrolled in the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children. Children ages 6-8 and their parents reported what they ate and drank for four days.

The researcher measured the children's BMI (Body Mass Index), waist circumference, blood pressure and cholesterol, blood glucose, and insulin levels.

The study determined that approximately 45 percent of boys and 34 percent of girls ate all three meals, but the majority did not. The most skipped meal was dinner. The study was published in a series of reports in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, The International Journal of Obesity, and The European Journal of Nutrition.

Eloranta was surprised with the result as the usual skipped meal, even among adults, was breakfast, per Time.

The dangers of skipping meals

Kids who skipped meals ate more protein and are more likely to have excess body fat as they have uncontrolled eating behaviors such as fast eating, emotional overeating, and lower satiety responsiveness which was also associated with higher body adiposity.

Excessive consumption of sugary drinks, red meat, low-fat margarine, and lower consumption of vegetable oil are all related to higher cardiometabolic risk.

According to a Finnish study, children who skip primary meals are more likely to have excess body fat and an increased cardiometabolic risk.

The researchers scrutinized information of more than 4,800 school-age kids and determined that about 7 to 20 percent skipped lunch at least once a week, per Reuters.

The importance of meals

Consuming regular meals allows the body to receive energy and nutrients, which it needs to function optimally, allowing children to engage in all things they need to do in the day and, at the same time, allowing for more opportunities in the day.

Alison Elridge, the study co-author of Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, stated that lunch is the most important key to helping children meet their nutrient needs, particularly for fat-soluble vitamins A and D, minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium which are crucial for healthy bones and dietary fiber.

Nearly a quarter of Black and Hispanic teens skipped lunch, and about 30 percent of Black children ages 9 to 18 missed lunch on the weekends. Such kids are deficient in vitamins A, D, E, and K, along with several essential minerals.

On the other hand, Healthy Kids stated that skipping breakfast can affect concentration, especially at school, and how you eat for the rest of the day. If breakfast is skipped, children are more likely to binge on less nutritious foods in the next meal or snack.