Breakfast on the Run

Despite your mother telling you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day it's often not possible to prepare and eat something before rushing out of the door. Most students would probably rate sleep more highly than a bowl of cereal first thing in the morning and it's generally a mad dash just to get up and have a quick shower before lectures start. Sadly, this means that breakfast is often delayed, forgotten or substituted for the contents of a crisp bag or chocolate bar wrapper.

No Need to Compromise

There are plenty of ways that you can stay in bed until the last possible minute but still manage to have a bite to eat before leaving the house. There are also plenty of good reasons why you should. While it's important to eat well throughout the day, your old mum wasn't too far off the mark. Eating first thing in the morning helps to kick-start your metabolism and it gives your body something to work on. A good breakfast should stop you feeling the need for snacks and your concentration levels will be better as you won't have to deal with feelings of nausea or embarrassing tummy rumbles in the lecture theatre.

Quick Bites

Here are some ideas for breakfasts that really can be eaten on the run, or that will literally take a minute or two of your time in the morning:

Fruit

There's no preparation involved here - all you need is a well-stocked fruit bowl. Bananas are great as they're filling and are packed full of nutritional goodies. Most fruit is easy to eat while you're walking to college or sitting on the bus, so there's really no excuse for not having anything for breakfast.

Cereal Bars

Pick brands that aren't just full of sugar. Something with plenty of grains, nuts and dried fruit is best. Team this up with a piece of fresh fruit and you've got a pretty good breakfast.

Bagel

You can prepare this the night before and eat it on your way to college. Fill with cheese and tomato, ham and egg, or just marmite or jam if you prefer something lighter.

Smoothie

There are plenty of these on the market now and they're a good standby for a quick morning health fix. Of course, if you do have a few minutes to spare, it's best to make your own from scratch.

Dried Fruit

Nuts and dried fruit make a great snack and will tide you over until you get a chance to eat a proper meal.

Milk

If the cupboards really are bare, the fridge might still have the answer. A glass of milk will give you a bit of a boost in an emergency.

Toast

Come on, you must be able to squeeze in five extra seconds to put a couple of slices of bread in the toaster on your way to the shower. Even if you have to eat it plain, it's better than no breakfast at all. Grab a hunk of cheese and you're halfway to a decent breakfast!

It's easy to get run-down and ill when you're a student. A healthy, balanced diet can really help to combat those winter bugs and a good breakfast is an important part of this. Try to get into the habit of eating something first thing in the morning and your body will thank you for it.