Every meal a man, woman, or child consumes plays a role in their daily physical and mental well-being. There are deciding factors in determining which meal has the greatest importance. A single meal can have an astounding affect on a person's day. The first meal of the day is called breakfast, because it literally breaks the fast that has lasted ten to twelve hours since the last meal of the previous day. Breakfast is proven to be the most important meal of the day. This meal can decide the entire outcome of a person's day.
             According to the United States Census Bureau, there are approximately 250 million people in the United States. Having knowledge that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, 35-40 percent of Americans skip breakfast. Without breakfast, some people become less able to do physical work in the late morning hours and some students do not perform well in the classroom. When one skips breakfast, their body shuts down their metabolism in an attempt to preserve what it contains, which causes drowsiness. Since metabolism accounts for approximately 70 percent of the body's energy expenditure, the consumption of a healthy first meal of the day is encouraged. There are many reasons why breakfast should be a part of people's everyday diet, but some people just do not have time to eat breakfast.
             Despite the numerous benefits of eating a nutritious breakfast, surveys show that about 15 percent of teenagers ages 12 to 18 and about 30 percent of adults ages 18 to 35 skip breakfast. The most commonly used excuse is "I'd eat if I had more time." According to a survey done by Courtney Harrison, a Lincoln High School staff writer, 48 percent of students say that lack of time is the number one reason that they do not eat breakfast. Many people believe that breakfast helps them lose weight, but this is not necessarily true. In fact, research shows that skipping break
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