Study finds teens who start the day with breakfast eat better overall
Older teens who ate breakfast took in more nutrients and consumed less daily fat and sugar than those who skipped it, particularly when breakfasts were high in protein
American Society for Nutrition
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A new study showed that consuming breakfast increased the overall intake of important nutrients such as fiber, iron, zinc and choline in teens who tended to skip breakfast. Study participants received prepacked meals, with one group consuming higher-protein breakfasts, such as the one pictured.
view moreCredit: Emma Rose Brown, University of Texas at Austin
National Harbor, Md. (July 25, 2026) — A new study of teens around age 18 who tended to skip breakfast showed that consuming breakfast increased their overall intake of important nutrients such as fiber, iron, zinc and choline.
The researchers also found that eating breakfast reduced the intake of high-fat and high-sugar foods throughout the day when compared to those who didn’t eat breakfast. Participants who consumed higher-protein breakfasts saw even stronger benefits.
“This is one of the largest and longest tightly controlled breakfast trials in adolescents,” said Emma Rose Brown, a doctoral student under the mentorship of Heather Leidy, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics - Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. “Our findings suggest that adding breakfast, particularly one rich in protein, may be an effective way to improve nutrient intake and diet quality among older adolescents.”
Brown will present the findings at NUTRITION 2026, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, held July 25–28 in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.
“Although most Americans think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there isn’t a lot of evidence to support this idea,” said Brown. “We wanted to see whether consuming a high-protein breakfast would increase nutrient intake and promote healthier eating throughout the day.”
The study included 128 adolescents who were between 14 and 21 years old and skipped breakfast at least six times a week. Participants were randomly assigned to eat either a normal-protein breakfast, a high-protein breakfast or to continue skipping breakfast.
For the groups eating breakfast, the researchers prepared and packed over 18,000 meals that included breakfast foods commonly consumed by adolescents such as burritos, quesadillas, egg scrambles and smoothies. Meals for the normal protein group contained around 15 g of protein, and meals for the high-protein group contained 30 g of high-quality protein.
At the start of the study and again at 3 and 6 months, study participants in the breakfast-eating groups received a food cooler containing the prepared foods. They could eat as much or as little as they wanted to over three days. This approach allowed the researchers to precisely track intake while allowing the food to be consumed at home. It led to excellent compliance, with participants consuming the provided meals more than 90% of the time.
Researchers assessed what participants ate by asking them to recall everything they consumed over a 24-hour period and by weighing the food coolers before and after consumption. Food intake was entered into nutrition software for analysis.
The researchers found that although all the groups consumed around the same amount of calories throughout the day, those eating breakfast took in more fiber, iron, zinc and choline overall. Participants in the high-protein group also consumed more protein, iron and choline compared to those in the normal protein group.
The study also showed that both groups who ate breakfast consumed fewer desserts, sweets and candy compared to participants who skipped breakfast. Additional benefits were observed with the high-protein group, who ate even less added sugar compared to the other groups.
Next, the researchers plan to look at how increasing dietary protein at breakfast might affect people’s thoughts and cravings about food, specifically in young adults and adults stopping GLP‑1 medications. A better understanding of how breakfast protein affects what people eat and how much they think about food throughout the day could help inform practical strategies that support long-term, healthy weight management.
The research team conducting the study procedures included Kamille Piacquadio, Ph.D., Charlotte Griffith, Ph.D., Morgan Braden, Ph.D. and Heather Leidy, Ph.D.
Brown will present this research at 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 25, during the Protein Intake and Health Poster Session in the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center (abstract; presentation details).
Please note that abstracts presented at NUTRITION 2026 were evaluated and selected by a committee of experts but have not generally undergone the same peer review process required for publication in a scientific journal. As such, the findings presented should be considered preliminary until a peer-reviewed publication is available.
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health under award number NIH/NIDDK R01 DK107390.
Meals for the normal protein group contained around 15 g of protein (example pictured), and meals for the high-protein group contained 30 g of high-quality protein. Participants in the high-protein group consumed even less added sugar and more protein, iron and choline daily compared to those in the normal protein group.
Credit
Emma Rose Brown, University of Texas at Austin
About NUTRITION 2026
NUTRITION 2026 is the flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition and the premier educational event for nutritional professionals around the globe. NUTRITION brings together lab scientists, practicing clinicians, population health researchers and community intervention investigators to identify solutions to today’s greatest nutrition challenges. This meeting also attracts rising leaders in the field, including undergraduate, graduate and medical students. NUTRITION 2026 will be held July 25–28 in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. https://nutrition.org/meeting/ #Nutrition2026
About the American Society for Nutrition (ASN)
ASN is the preeminent professional organization for nutrition research scientists and clinicians around the world. Founded in 1928, the society brings together the top nutrition researchers, medical practitioners, policy makers and industry leaders to advance knowledge and application of nutrition. ASN publishes four peer-reviewed journals and provides education and professional development opportunities to advance nutrition research, practice, and education. Since 2018, the American Society for Nutrition has presented NUTRITION, the leading global annual meeting for nutrition professionals. http://www.nutrition.org
Find more news briefs from NUTRITION 2026 at: https://www.eurekalert.org/newsroom/nutrition2026.
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Cafeteria menu makeover could reduce students' sugar, salt intake
Researchers work to help school meals meet new nutrition standards
University of Mississippi
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Ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's updated guidelines for school lunches, researchers at the Institute of Child Nutrition studied which cafeteria foods students eat most often and how much sodium and sugar those foods contain. Substituting excess sugar and salt with herbs and spices could keep the flavor while making the meals healthier.
view moreCredit: Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
Pizza, pastries and parfaits are staples in many school cafeterias. But new research from the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi suggests some of students' favorite meals may contain more sodium and sugar than schools will be allowed to serve under updated federal nutrition standards.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will require schools across the United States to reduce sodium and added sugars in meals by fall 2027. A new study published in Nutrition Reviews aimed to identify which popular menu items are highest in sodium and sugar, giving school officials a starting point for creating healthier menus.
School meals are designed to meet nutrition standards, and for many children, they are among the most balanced meals they eat," said Aleshia Hall-Campbell, executive director of the Institute of Child Nutrition at Ole Miss. "But because students may eat school breakfast and lunch many times each week, the nutrition quality of those meals matters.
"Reducing added sugars and sodium is not about blaming school meals. It is about using school meals as an opportunity to support children's health while still serving foods students enjoy."
The researchers aimed to create healthier versions of students' preferred meals that adhere to updated guidelines for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, said Ruaa Al Juboori, assistant professor of public health and data analytics statistician.
"For families, the practical point is that these changes are not about taking away foods students enjoy," she said. "They are about making the foods already served in schools a little healthier while keeping them familiar, flavorful and appealing to students.
"This matters because school meals reach many children every day. For students who eat breakfast and lunch at school, even small changes in added sugar and sodium can make a difference over time."
To make students' favorite foods healthier, the researchers surveyed 1,071 school nutrition professionals to determine what schools serve and what students eat most often. Then they reviewed recipes for those cafeteria items – such as pizza, smoothies, yogurt parfaits, muffins and chicken wings – to identify which foods contained the highest amounts of sugar and sodium.
For example, flavored chicken wings recipes average more than 2,100 milligrams of sodium per serving. The USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
Excess sodium intake over time is linked to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Because many students eat school meals every weekday, researchers say even modest reductions in sodium could have meaningful long-term health benefits.
Substituting herbs and spices for excess salt and sugar can make recipes healthier. But those improved recipes will succeed only if students will eat them, the researchers said.
"While sodium and sugar make foods taste good, herbs and spices can also add flavor to the foods we eat," said Marjuyua Lartey Gibson, director of the institute's Applied Research Division at Southern Miss. "School nutrition professionals should explore flavor enhancers, such as spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for sweetness, and salt substitutes like herbs – rosemary, thyme, garlic and paprika – to minimize sodium.
"Taste testing and student feedback are also important, because the best recipe change is one that students will actually eat."
While the primary goal of the research was to help schools meet nutrition guidelines, the long-term impact of improving cafeteria offerings is improving student health.
"School meals alone do not determine a child's lifelong eating habits, but they can play an important role," Hall-Campbell said. "Children are exposed to foods at school again and again, so school meals can help shape what students see as normal, familiar and acceptable.
"That is why balance is important. We want students to enjoy their meals, but we also want them to become familiar with foods that are lower in added sugar and sodium and still taste good."
This material is based on work supported by the USDA grant no. FNS-CN-ICN-FY23.
Journal
Nutrition Reviews
Article Title
Evaluation of Popular Food Trends in K–12 Schools: Nutritional Analysis of Recipes and Daily Serving Patterns
