Hey there Pirate Press readers! Welcome to a healthier you! This column is going to be featuring a new health topic each issue. We will find out some habits/choices of students and find out whether or not they are healthy and find ways to make them healthy. Our first battle will be breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but how many of us really eat a proper breakfast? According to a Pirate Press survey, 50 percent of the students surveyed said they eat breakfast every day. But most of them eat cereal such as Froot Loops or Cornflakes. Others eat cereal bars, poptarts or toast.

Cereal is a good choice as long as it doesn’t have too much sugar. Cereals such as Raisin Bran or Shredded Wheat would be okay choices due to their moderate glycemic level.

Yeah, we’ve all heard the good-old excuse that “I didn’t have time for breakfast” or “I just don’t eat it.” According to nutritionist Vicki Yanni, when you don’t eat breakfast, you are already going 12 hours without eating, and when you wait for lunch, that adds up to about 15 hours without food.

Running on empty causes you to have poor attention because the brain needs glucose (sugar), and I think we’ve all heard how eating well improves test-taking scores. Eating breakfast doesn’t have to be time consuming either.

Eating on the go (Not McDonalds) can be okay if it’s not some big meal. A great breakfast on the go would be a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and fruit with and orange juice on the side.

It looks like that A on the Geometry test just got easier by eating a well-balanced breakfast! Also, eating breakfast helps keep the metabolism in-check which keeps you from gaining weight. Hopefully all these tips will help you to start your new school year and day off right!