Waking up early enough to arrive on time for period one every morning can be difficult. With this reality for Warde students, finding the time to eat breakfast at all can prove challenging. As for eating a balanced one that keeps you full until lunch? Well that can be even harder.
So, I took it upon myself to test out different breakfast options from iced coffee to energy bars and rate how it affected my energy throughout the day.
Lemon Luna Bar
This energy-esq bar tasted good, and it definitely subsided my morning hunger. But, as the day progressed, I was hungry and tired by second period. Thankfully, I had the first lunch wave, and I was able to eat something else and make myself feel better. This breakfast was easy, as all I had to do was open the package and eat it.
Flavor: 8/10
Hunger Erasing Ability: 7/10
Overall Rating: 6/10
Dunkin’ Iced Coffee
I do not recommend only having an iced coffee for breakfast. It was terrible. This coffee made me jittery, anxious, and shaky. While drinking coffee in the morning isn’t bad, drinking it without any other food is awful. This wasn’t very easy to do, as I had to make sure I left earlier than normal to make a detour, before coming to school. I’d recommend it as a pick-me- up drink, not a meal.
Flavor: 9/10
Hunger Erasing Ability: 3/10
Overall Rating: 4/10
Slice of Pumpkin Bread
As a fall favorite of mine, I wanted to make sure to include a seasonal treat on this list, and pumpkin bread was perfect. I made the pumpkin bread the night before, and it was ready for me to enjoy in the morning. While it wasn’t very easy to make the loaf, it was simple to cut a piece and eat it, and if you decide to use a store-bought mix, it’s sure to please.
Flavor: 11/10
Hunger Erasing Ability: 8/10
Overall Rating: 10/10
Bowl of Cereal, Fruit, and Yogurt
This is definitely the most balanced, and healthiest meal on this list. While it did take me longer to eat and prepare, I would say it’s worth it for the nutritious and filling qualities it provides. This didn’t require any preparation beforehand, but I did have to wake up a bit earlier to be able to sit down and eat my breakfast. The bowl of cereal had grains, and the yogurt gave me protein, ensuring that I would have enough energy for school.
Flavor: 9/10
Hunger Erasing Ability: 9/10
Overall Rating: 8/10
No Bake Energy Bites
While this was slightly inconvenient to make at the time, the convenience that it brought me in the morning made it worth it. I was able to take more time getting ready, and therefore I was less anxious about getting to school on time. While this breakfast was small in size, it had peanut butter and oats, which gave me enough energy to get through my first two periods.
Flavor: 7/10
Hunger Erasing Ability: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7/10
In all, it’s important to eat a healthy, filling breakfast. Even though time is limited early in the morning, what we eat affects almost every aspect of our day. So, please eat breakfast!