Summer Revely
Are you surviving your 9ams fuelled by caffeine and panic? We’ve all been there. The constantly busy schedules, late nights in the club or completing summatives, and brief sleeps interrupted by early mornings make breakfast seem impossible at times. 
The crazy changes to the circadian rhythm that often come with being at university can make skipping breakfast feel so normal. But breakfast does actually matter, and no, an overpriced coffee doesn’t count. It’s essential for energy, focus, mood, and not to bite someone’s head off in a spell of hanger before the day’s even begun.
STARTING THE DAY WITH A GOOD MEAL REGULATES YOUR APPETITE ALL DAY, AND WITHOUT BREAKFAST, YOU CAN’T PSYCHOLOGICALLY FUNCTION AT YOUR BEST.
While Kellogg’s was the first to push the ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ narrative, mainly to boost their cereal sales, it does actually have some research-led backing. There’s a quite obvious reason why breakfast is so important: to kick start your metabolism, fuelling your brain and muscles. Starting the day with a good meal regulates your appetite all day, and without breakfast, you can’t physiologically function at your best. Low blood sugar can lead to brain fog and being easily distracted. After all, “hanger” isn’t a myth – it’s actually your body asking for more food.
The importance of eating breakfast, particularly for students, is proven time and time again in scientific investigations, with the common conclusion being that eating a good breakfast improves academic performance. One study involving 648 Australian high school students showed a highly significant association between eating breakfast and improved adaptive motivation, which is essentially the desire to learn and achieve your goals. Similarly, the odds of achieving above average grades were twice as high with a hearty breakfast in another review. So if you want to be a true academic weapon, you might be best off getting to your assignment a little later and dedicating some time to fuelling yourself.
There are so many excuses for skipping breakfast that I’ve used myself, the most common being that I didn’t have time. Toast takes a minute or two – eat it on the go if you have to. If you really want to be prepared, make overnight oats, or prepare something else the night before to give you those precious extra minutes in bed.
Another excuse that I’ve heard is just not being hungry that early. If that’s really the case, take something you can eat once you get to campus. Even a Nature Valley bar would do the trick. If your body is not hungry in the morning, it is because it has adapted to not expect food; you can retrain yourself to want the nutrients your body craves by starting with smaller portions. While a protein-dense breakfast is best, such as eggs, avocado, yoghurt and more, anything is better than nothing here – it doesn’t have to be Instagram worthy.
[BREAKFAST] SETS THE TONE FOR A GOOD DAY, WITH BETTER MOOD, MENTAL STABILITY AND ROUTINE.
Ultimately, eating breakfast is the most important thing for starting your day off right. It sets the tone for a good day, with a better mood, mental stability and routine. It can be a small habit with a big impact. Nice brunches don’t have to wait for the weekend. Tomorrow morning, before you rush out the door, grab something. Future you (and your brain) will thank you.
Summer Revely
Feature image courtesy of Brooke Lark on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of Randy Fath on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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