March 14, 2014

Imagine you’re sitting in a morning class, taking notes on a lecture, when suddenly, heads turn at the sound similar to an animal’s growl. You wonder for a second where the noise came from, until it hits you: you forgot to eat breakfast, again.

For college students with classes, organizations, papers and the usual lack of sleep, it may be easy to drop breakfast from your list of priorities. While this may be practical to add a few extra minutes of sleep or an extra cup of coffee, it also could be harmful.

Although 93 percent of Americans believe breakfast is the most important meal, only 44 percent take time for the morning meal each day, according to the USDA Food and Agricultural Organization.

Of adults in the U.S., 18-34-year-olds have the highest percentage of those who skip breakfast (28 percent of males, 18 percent of females).

Whether this has to do with the stressors of college or the busyness of our young lives, we are missing out on all the benefits breakfast has to offer. Here are a few ways breakfast can improve your health:

Short-term memory retention: For all the exams and quizzes college students take, remembering information is vital. Knowing this can be especially useful as a student continuously needing to stay on his or her A-game.

Good blood sugar levels: Breakfast leaves you less hungry throughout the day and able to focus on all the other things happening in life.

Less tired, more energized: Being tired could be a distraction, especially if your stomach is growling during your morning class. Grabbing food in the morning can help you feel more awake for all that your day holds.

Better cholesterol and heart health: Eating breakfast, especially ones including whole-grain items, can help reduce your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

Healthier weight maintained: Those who eat breakfast consumed an average of 100 calories less than those who skip. With the “Freshman 15” lingering around universities, breakfast could be a perfect way to kick-start the healthier you.

Eating breakfast has plenty of benefits worth setting aside 10 minutes of your day for. It can take around five minutes to toast bread, scramble eggs and prepare oatmeal.

But if you’re looking to make more of a day out of your breakfast, try The SweetSpot on Whitewater Street. It’s a comfortable atmosphere, perfect for a morning date or a place for solitude. They also opened a drive-through SweetSpot Bakehouse near Sentry for those taking a pastry and coffee to-go. As an extra bonus, there’s a student discount.

As far as breakfast restaurants, Jessica’s downtown is by far Whitewater’s best and cheapest for the student budget. Treat yourself to one of these places before a big exam or cram session.

So, the next time you run quickly out the door without grabbing a healthy breakfast, think about how it can affect the rest of your day and your entire body’s health.