Hauled into school because dd had no breakfast

[takeastand]

Got called into school as dd(13) felt unwell and it transpired she hadn't eaten. I don't encourage her to eat breakfast although I don't stop her - she rarely gets up early enough to eat it during the week. I honestly thought the school would be sensible about this but what an absolute waste of everyone's time. I thought once I explained that she wasn't neglected or malnourished we could go on our way. Instead a load of hand wringing, unsubstantiated and unscientific bollocks about how important breakfast is and how clearly this is the reason dd felt light headed, even though she hasn't eaten breakfast before school the entire five weeks and this is the first day she has felt unwell.

For context - she is overweight. I'm not going to force another 300-400 calories that she doesn't desire or need at the only point of the day that she doesn't seem to be starving hungry! I make her a cup of tea each morning, she drinks plenty of water. Her house is first for lunch so she eats at 12ish!

It's half term next week and I'm not sure whether I should say anything to the school tomorrow or just let it lie.

I think it may be something peculiar to some teenage girls. I couldn’t do without breakfast now but remember that for several years at secondary school I couldn’t face food in the morning.
So many strongly held myths about breakfast you may have problems convincing the school especially if it has students who go involuntarily without breakfast

Surely no meal is necessary if you aren’t actually hungry? Is there no morning break for a snack at your daughter’s school, op?

cake maybe people are going in about it because it has been proven to make a Difference??

I mean I know we are not supposed to listen to experts and all that. But some times research and what it tells you actually is useful...

can you get a referral to an nhs dietitian to discuss your meal practices.
there is more than just the missed breakfast that is ringing alarm bells over here.

If you're not hungry then don't eat. Forcing three meals a day is utter bollocks. Most people would survive just fine on one big decent meal or two smaller ones. No one needs breakfast. And if they do it shouldn't be sugar or carb laden. It should be protein based.

Anyone who says "it boosts your metabolism" is the same sort of muppet who thinks low fat yogurts are a good thing.

Sorry @A580Hojas I thought I'd answered that! They asked me to collect her and when I got there they had a team of hand wringers assembled ready to show me the error of my ways

And btw, the fact that eating breakfast IS important, isn’t a myth....

I’m amazed that so few people actually listen to those who know (and might have, for example, read the research etc...) and decide that it’s just bollocks because it just doesn’t fit the way they see things....

I used to often skip breakfast, still can or do sometimes.
It's not so important to me.

There is conflicting research on this. Maybe people have read different research.

Skipping breakfast encourages your body's metabolism to enter starvation mode

Absolute pish. It's this type of pseudo-science bollocks that leads people into bad habits and obesity. Your body does NOT enter "starvation mode" after only a few hours without food. We sure as shit wouldn't have survived and evolved as successfully as we did if this was the case. True "starvation" mode takes weeks. Our bodies can do fine without food for much longer than most (fat) people in the west think.

I've never eaten breakfast. I've also never been overweight either. The thought of food in the morning makes me feel sick.
Please don't try and make your daughter eat breakfast if she doesn't want to, it really isn't the most important meal of the day.

Anyone who says "it boosts your metabolism" is the same sort of muppet who thinks low fat yogurts are a good thing

Can't help but agree with this! I'm a healthy weight and have never put calories into my body to "boost metabolism"

Op, maybe you do need to look at your dd’s eating habits. She is overweight. You dont get overweight without eating too much. Do you know she isnt snacking on crap throughout the day?

Wasn’t the whole “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” crap a marketing ploy by cereal companies? I hate when people say it “kickstarts your metabolism” just means you end up taking in more food throughout the day. On the rare occasions I have breakfast I’m starving a couple hours later and my overall intake ends up being greater than if I hadn’t had it at all.

I was the same as a teen OP, never ate breakfast - would be nauseous if I tried. I’d leave it with the school this time and just send DD in with a banana in her bag if she gets lightheaded again.

Do you know she isnt snacking on crap throughout the day?

In all honesty I can't be sure. Can any parent of a teenager? All I can say is that if she is sneaking sugary crap in her school bag then she will do that regardless of whether she's had a bowl of cornflakes (also sugary crap)

'Team of hand wringers??? Really OP. I teach. Some of my kids have HALF their lessons with me from 8.30 to 9.30 am and they are half asleep. If they don't pass my subject they don't get to study level 3's at 16. I can tell you...half asleep hungry kids do not learn before breaktime. Get her up and get her fed. She is a child and needs parenting.

Agree with you OP - importance of breakfast is cultural and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that longer periods without food (eg no breakfast) is good for adults' metabolism.

Bet the school can't tell you what proportion of their teenagers do eat breakfast.

Plate of sliced apple with her tea in the mornings - job done.
She does need to eat something - it doesn’t need to be big

Having worked with teenagers for almost 20yrs, if one of them came to me dizzy, faint or light- headed, the first thing I’d ask is when they’d last eaten. If I found they hadn’t eaten that day, I’d definitely want to see parents to check for things like neglect/eating disorders.

I teach as well. I don't think high carb, sugary breakfast helps children to learn. I have also taught lessons after fasting for 24 hours plus.

Protein would be a good idea though if she'll tolerate a couple of boiled eggs or something. A lot of schools have breakfast clubs mid morning which is a much better idea.

My teenager has time for breakfast.He just never wants it. What am I supposed to do, force feed him? Can nag all you like but doesn't mean they'll eat.
Youngest complete opposite, he needs his breakfast the minute he gets up, just like me.
Many a time I'll come downstairs and he's already sat there with his bowl of Rice Krispies orwhatever.
Anyway, your school is being ridiculous. If it was a nursery and your kid was a toddler, or a primary school age child, they'd have a point.
Teenagers though they need to be able to start sorting themselves out without being nagged to death.

I can't do without breakfast myself. Lunch I could happily skip otoh.

I have only one DC who eats breakfast, and he skips lunch quite frequently.

I think it would actually make some of my DDs sick to have to eat in the morning.

Missymousey I agree - I bet there are many students in teh DD's school who do not eat breakfast but suffer no ill effects.

I often wake up at 5am and can't get back to sleep. I get up at 7 or 7.30. I have a mug of tea and another mug of tea at 9 and a white coffee with 1 tsp of sugar at about 11. I am perfectly happy - not hungry, sick, dizzy or nauseous. When we are on holiday in a hotel with a lavish breakfast my dh always encourages us all to eat as much as we can (and I can see where he is coming from tbh) and much as I love a freebie I usually can only manage some fruit and a piece of toast under duress. I have a perfectly healthy appetite and am well covered with no eating disorder but my natural way of eating is after 12 noon. And I'm sure I'm not the only one! (point of my post).

What a load of bollocks depending on which research you choose to believe.
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