Breakfast can make or break your day

Breakfast has been known to be called, “the most important meal of the day.” However, many high schoolers are consistently avoiding breakfast, whether it’s because they don’t have time, or because they simply can’t be bothered to eat breakfast. 

I used to think exactly like that; as a student with zero-period, I have less time than most in the morning. I was always waking up as late as possible, getting ready as fast as I could, then barely leaving the house in time to be on time for school. I would spend all morning starving until break, often trying to satiate myself with gum or the ice cubes in my water. This helped a little bit, but there is no substitute for actual food. 

As a little bit of a New Year’s resolution, I decided that I would try waking up a little earlier so that I could eat breakfast. I’ve started waking up earlier, getting ready, then making myself a breakfast at home, or leaving the house a little earlier to stop somewhere and get something to eat. I’ve only been doing this for about a week, but I can already see a difference in the rest of my day. 

An obvious difference that I’ve noticed is that I am not hungry at all until break. I was so used to being hungry, that when I started eating breakfast I realized that I was focusing more on class, rather than counting down the minutes to break and trying to hide the weird noises my stomach would make. 

Another big change I’ve observed is that I have a lot more energy throughout the day. As I mentioned before, I take a zero-period, so sleep has always been something I’m often deprived of. I used to be extremely tired throughout the whole day, and I would find myself on the brink of falling asleep in every class. Since I’ve started eating breakfast, I feel more awake throughout the day and I am no longer dozing off in any class. Even after nights where I have to stay up late and finish homework, I’ve noticed that the lack of sleep is not affecting me as much. I don’t think I realized how tired I actually was until I experienced what it was actually like to have energy throughout the entire day. 

To some, breakfast may seem daunting because it can be difficult to make. However, a good breakfast doesn’t have to take a lot of effort; it can be as simple or as complicated as you want. While I have taken the time to make something a little more complicated, such as avocado toast, I noticed that I feel exactly the same when I have something more simple, such as a yogurt and some fruit. 

Breakfast may seem like something extremely unattainable and complicated, but all it takes is waking up a little earlier and putting in the effort. While this is not ideal, the benefits are definitely worth it