My whole life I've been told about the importance of breakfast. Eating breakfast helps your brain get going in the morning and gets you ready for the whole day. According to my health teachers, eating breakfast helps you get and maintain a healthy weight because it gets your metabolism running. I even had a health teacher who said "I don't care what you eat for breakfast. You can eat Pop Tarts if you really need to, just get glucose to your brain."

I am a super busy person, so I usually stay up pretty late doing everything that I need to do, so I want to sleep in as much as possible. During my first two semesters at university, I always had 9:15 class, followed by a nice break at 10:20, and classes on and off throughout the rest of the day. I'd always roll out of bed at 8:40, go to class, and then get brunch at 10:30, no problem.

This past semester, though, I've had class solid with no breaks, pretty much every day. I realized at the beginning of the semester that if I didn't want to die, I was going to have to eat breakfast. More often than not, I still didn't get out of bed in time to actually sit down to eat my breakfast (that happened literally one time this past semester). Here are some things that I could grab, either from my room or from the Market, and eat on my way to class:

1. Yogurt

I like Greek yogurt because then I don't feel like I'm starting my day with a ton of sugar. I can keep some in the fridge in my dorm, or buy some from the Market.

2. Oatmeal

I boil the water while I get dressed, then pour it and my instant oatmeal into a coffee mug, and I'm all set for breakfast on the go! (Bonus: I can make tea or French press some coffee with the leftover boiling water. Sweet!)

3. Breakfast cookies

Belvita's are really good, in my opinion. I have also bought the Simple Truth organic Oat Breakfast Cookies. There are two cookies in a package; I eat one before my first class and save the other for a midday pick-me-up.

4. Granola bars/energy bars

My favorites are the LemonZest Luna bars. They taste so good and fill me up enough to tide me over until I can get a real meal.

5. Fruit (or fruit-ish)

I have a Costco bag of raisins in my room, so if I need quick sugar, I pack a couple handfuls of raisins to eat. If I have time to run to the Market, I buy a fruit cup or a banana to eat while I run to class. If all else fails, fruit snacks are great (especially if they don't have a lot of added sugar).

Remember that nothing is a good substitute for a well-balanced, nutrient-rich breakfast. If you can, always try for a better breakfast than the sugar-filled things I've suggested here. As always, if you have concerns about your diet, you should contact a nutritionist or general doctor. If you attend a university, you may even have a nutritionist available to you for free through your Health Center, or your Physical Education or Athletics programs.

Here is some information about public school breakfasts (but it totally applies to university settings too) and what a balanced breakfast can look like.