I’m sure you’ve heard time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, it’s true. If you’re skipping out on breakfast for any number of reasons, you are doing more harm to your day than you may realize. By eating too little for breakfast, eating the wrong combination of foods or skipping this meal entirely, you’re setting yourself up for poor concentration and a lack of energy, which is something that we college kids can’t afford to sacrifice.

Starting the day with breakfast is easily the best way to set yourself up for success before you even walk out your door. Whether you’re hitting the gym before a busy day at work or if you’ve got four exams ahead of you, fueling up with the right combination of breakfast foods will help you tackle any agenda. If you’re pondering what this so-called “right combination” of foods that I’ve spoken about could possibly consist of, fear not, because I have your answer.

Building the perfect breakfast is not rocket science. It’s simply pairing a food that happens to digest somewhat quicker, for that quick burst of energy we all need first thing in the morning, with a more filling food that will stick with you for a tad longer to work on keeping you satisfied until time for your next meal rolls around.

Taking this into consideration, aim to pair a carbohydrate, which is the food mentioned that is digested somewhat quicker, with a fat and/or a protein, both of which work to keep your stomach full for a longer duration of time, for the first meal of your day. Easy stuff, right?

An example of this combination could be two slices of toast with peanut butter and some turkey bacon, or a glass of orange juice, and some eggs with avocado. By providing your body with one or more of each type of food, you increase the time that your meal will stick around to help you fuel your morning. This will also help to lessen those annoying stomach growls that happen when the entire class is silent during an exam (I can’t be the only one that this has happened to.) Take my advice, eat a balanced breakfast, and don’t let that person be you, either!