Two hundred thirty seven students taking a basic nutrition course provided self-report information about their dietary intake habits, nutrition knowledge, and attitudes related to meal skipping. Nutrition students were asked if they had skipped any meal the previous day and their perceptions of whether or not omitting meals affected their ability to perform well in classes and activities. Among the participants, 39% reported missing breakfast, 22% skipped lunch, and 11 percent had no dinner. While 68% of students reported that missing meals negatively affected their academic and activity performance, the results varied on whether they ate or missed breakfast (eaters,66 percent versus skippers, 45%). Weight control was also related to missing meals, particularly breakfast. Fifty-three percent of breakfast skippers and 24% of lunch skippers were trying to lose weight compared to 21% of the breakfast and lunch eaters. Males were generally more likely to eat breakfast than females and were less likely to skip meals as a means of weight control. Overall, even though the majority of students believe that meal skipping will decrease performance, this perception is at odds with their dietary behavior.