Join the Breakfast Club to Lower Your Risk of Being Overweight

By Andrew Weatherford

Published on April 23, 2008

The Breakfast Club -

A New Study Helps Prove What John Hughes Knew Back in 1985: Breakfast Is Cool

Ever since The Breakfast Club was released in 1985, the movie has been satisfying the appetites of movie fans who crave quality teen comedy-drama. Entertainment Weekly has gone so far as to hail The Breakfast Club as the "best high school movie of all time."

While I respect other people's opinions, it's hard for me to share that unbridled passion for a movie with possibly the most misleading title of all time. No offense to anyone who is a fan of this cult classic, but none of the characters are actually shown eating breakfast!  I guess The Sit Around and Talk a Lot While Bonding and Eventually Coming Close to Self-Actualization Club wasn't a catchy enough title.

But if you watch this movie like I did with expectations of fresh berries, spinach omelets, or maybe even an indulgent morning meal of cinnamon French toast, then you are going to be sorely disappointed. Yep, this movie skips breakfast entirely.

And according to a recent study published in the March 2008 issue of Pediatrics, skipping breakfast is so not cool. The findings suggest that teenagers who do not eat breakfast have a greater chance of becoming overweight or obese.

Okay Claire, Andrew, Alison, Brian, and Bender. I realize that watching you figure out "who you are" is a compelling cinematic pursuit, but I'm more interested in what each one of you had to eat that fateful Saturday morning. I think this new study reaffirms how important it is to put "breakfast" back in The Breakfast Club.

So what exactly did Claire and company eat for breakfast before their date with detention?

Molly Ringwald - "The Princess" - eggs benedict, lox, and ambrosia fruit salad

I'm guessing that Claire ate some frou-frou foods that most of us normally wouldn't have on a regular basis. If she's eating sushi for lunch, then who knows what her breakfast might entail. Perhaps her bickering parents could have pampered her with less fatty foods, but I do think that by eating breakfast Claire is setting a good example for teen girls everywhere.  The detailed study of more than 2000 adolescents does not offer hard facts about why the relationship exists between skipping breakfast and gaining weight, but its findings do make it clear that Claire is less likely to gain weight if she eats breakfast on a regular basis. I know it may seem like a paradox - eating food to lower your risk of becoming fat - but that's, like, totally what breakfast can do.

Judd Nelson  - "The Criminal" - nothing, except for maybe a pack of Lucky Strikes

The dangers of smoking deserve their own article, but, suffice to say, the "criminal" of the group is not doing himself any favors if all he had before detention was a pack of cigs.  But if there was one character who might have bailed on breakfast, I'm guessing it was Bender. Unfortunately, this habit will increase the chance that he'll balloon out before the Shermer High School 10-year reunion. It should also be noted that Judd Nelson was 24 years old when the movie was filmed - definitely out of the teen range - but the importance of eating breakfast still applies to adults.

Anthony Michael Hall - "The Brain" - either oatmeal or cream of wheat, toast with no crust, raisins, skim milk

Oh, good. I've been waiting for Brian's section to fit in some nerdy numbers and statistics. In the past 20 plus years since The Breakfast Club was released, the proportion of overweight teenagers has tripled, according to background information presented with the Pediatrics study.  Now, over a third of all young people aged 12 to 19 are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

If only Principal Vernon had started giving detentions for skipping breakfast in addition to skipping class.

Emilio Estevez - "The Athlete" - a dozen eggs, five bananas, and a carton of orange juice

I assume that Andrew and breakfast are not total strangers. Out of all the Breakfast Clubbers, he is the most active and therefore needs the most calories. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's "My Pyramid Plan" recommends that males aged 16 to 18 who exercise more than 60 minutes a day need 3200 calories, so Andrew is well on his way to meeting that goal.

Ally Sheedy - "The Basket Case" - Cocoa Puffs cereal

Alison's breakfast choice was a tad too obvious. But even though she may think she's a little coo-coo, that's still no excuse to pick cocoa puffs. Sugary cereals and other unhealthy foods kind of defeat the purpose of eating breakfast in the first place. Look, Alison, I'm just trying to help you out. Maybe you could keep your identity and health by eating Bran Flakes or Nut Clusters.

Don't You...Forget to Eat Breakfast

In The Breakfast Club, five high school students are stuck in Saturday detention, trapped with others that they normally wouldn't associate with. They form a connection that enables them to transcend their stereotypes and learn the valuable life lesson that we are all human beings. Indeed, anyone can become a part of the Breakfast Club and experience the benefits of membership. You can lower your risk of becoming overweight or obese without even having to tape somebody's butt together or pulling a fire alarm to wind up in detention. Heck, even adults can join. The only requirements are that you begin each day by deciding to eat breakfast and then by making smart, nutritious choices.

Does that answer your question?

Sincerely Yours,

Andy Weatherford