After a long night of studying, I wake up at 9:45 a.m. in preparation for my 10:30 a.m. class. To satisfy my morning hunger until the end of my 75-minute lecture, I journey to the Commons with half an hour until I am expected to be in a basement classroom of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. Anticipating a hearty breakfast to meet my nutritional needs and give me the energy to carry me through the day, I enter the Commons craving their omelettes, French toast and pancakes. Instead of seeing a display of breakfast cereals, bacon and scrambled eggs, there are cheeseburgers and meatloaf already set out. The staff is already preparing the grilled chicken and pasta despite the fact that it is only 10 in the morning. There is not a single breakfast food in sight except for the yogurt which is available all day. I have eaten yogurt countless times and feel tired of my typical order of strawberry yogurt and granola with a side of fruit.

I have always valued a good night’s sleep and a balanced breakfast. However, with my 10:30 a.m. class that meets three times a week, I have skipped breakfast each time for over three months. With limited Wavebuck$ to spend at PJ’s Coffee and the Lavin-Bernick Center food court, I normally sit through the lecture on an empty stomach. Being on a college budget, I do not have the money to spend on breakfast alternatives to whip together in my dorm room. Instead, the absence of breakfast food in the Commons discourages me from choosing healthy meals in the morning despite the crucial need for maintaining a well-rounded diet. Neglecting to eat after waking up contributes to health problems such as stress and fatigue.

We have often been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The Commons stops serving breakfast foods at 10 a.m., and a great number of college students wake up after that time. Although the staff and manager may assert that its early closure is necessary in order to ensure that lunch is out and ready on time, breakfast is essential and extending it by an hour could make a tremendous difference in the wellness of Tulane students. Either way, breakfast foods are a fan favorite. A good example is Sexy Cakes, which is a business created by a couple of undergraduate students who recognized that their peers had late night cravings for breakfast foods such as waffles and eggs.

As a freshman, this is my first time truly monitoring my own intake. Without a parental figure to do grocery shopping, I make my own choices for what I consume, and starting off college by missing a meal regularly is causing me to develop a bad habit that could be avoided with slight adjustments.

Sincerely,

A breakfast enthusiast