Q: Why should I eat breakfast? Why is it important?

A: When coaches and parents tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they’re not joking. After essentially fasting for eight hours during sleep, you wake up low on energy and partially dehydrated. If you skip breakfast, you force your body into starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism, impairing brain function and sabotaging your performance.

A proper breakfast should consist of about 500 calories, half from carbohydrates, 25 percent from protein and 25 percent from healthy fat. This provides energy to power you through the day and during practices and games. In addition, a breakfast should be rich in vitamins and minerals to further improve your ability to reach peak performance.

If you are not a breakfast person or are short on time, eating something is always better than nothing. A great quick option is a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a glass of low-fat milk. Find more solid breakfast options in STACK’s Healthy Breakfast Guide.