It's rare that teenagers do not recognize the importance of eating breakfast, unfortunately, it's even more rare that we see them put this recognition into action by actually eating breakfast. Rather than go into a science lesson about the importance of a nutrient dense meal to "break" "fasting, we're going to reveal a few simple strategies to improve consistency and quality of breakfast for teenage athletes.

1) Something is Better Than Nothing. A pop tart, candy bar, piece of pizza, fruit snacks. For those who eat nothing goal one is to begin reintroducing calories upon waking. Over time the brain will start to expect this and before you know it you will feel hungry again in the morning and you will no longer feel like you are forcing yourself to eat.

2) Have Easy Options Ready. 99% of teenagers are not going to take the time to prepare their breakfast every morning. In a perfect world, they would take 30 minutes out their morning to prep and eat, but we know it's more like 5 minutes if we're lucky. So what is quick, easy, and nutritious?

-Whey protein powder (buy a shaker bottle, throw in some water or milk, protein powder and shake)
-Cottage cheese (high protein--great with fruit or peanut butter)
-Greek yogurt (many flavors, high in protein)
-Microwavable breakfast sandwiches (typically descent amount of protein)
-Protein bars (some better than others, but super convenient, better than granola bars)

3) Protein and Carbohydrates are Priority. Eating foods which are high in complex carbohydrates and complete proteins are the perfect way to fuel and repair a young athlete's body. It is important they learn about what types of foods are better than others for this and have access to them. A general rule of thumb is at least one fist full of a complete protein and two handfuls of carbohydrates.

4) Hydrate. Breakfast is an absolute great time to develop the habit of drinking more water. Make it simple, either before or after you eat make it a habit to drink a full glass of water. Simple but effective way to keep your body hydrated.

5) Experiment. Eventually you will find your groove, know what you like and what your body agrees with. If you have early morning workouts or practices then you will need to find a way to get in a smaller pre-workout meal and then something for post. It's not hard it just takes some action from you.