Q&A With Ashley Koff

Hi,
I’m currently in grade 11 at my school and every school day I have to wake up at 5:30am since classes start at 7am for me because I have a block zero class. I can’t normally get enough sleep cause of homework and studying, so I average about 5-6 hours of sleep.
My question is what can I eat in the morning to provide me with energy and what foods should I eat that will provide all day energy (or enough for the school day) without causing me to crash or feel lazy?
Also, I eat at 5:30am and don’t eat my next meal til 11:15am since that’s my lunch block and I can’t eat in between any of my classes or in any of my classes. Should I eat a lot for breakfast to keep me full enough til lunch or what?
Thanks!
Ronnie
Ronnie,
Even though it’s ideal to have something nutrient-balanced (Some carb+protein+healthy fat + unlimited vegetables) every 3 hours — we know that in reality life doesn’t always happen in three hour increments. That said, that doesn’t mean you want to overeat at one eating occasion as the body will put the leftovers into storage (fat) and not use it for future energy.
Some morning ideas include oatmeal with peanut butter and cinnamon mixed in OR 1-2 hard-boiled eggs (minus the yolks, use salsa or mustard in the middle instead) with a whole wheat tortilla with almond butter OR you could make a smoothie with plain coconut water or unsweetened almond milk, 1-2 scoops hemp or rice protein, 1 Tbsp flax oil or peanut butter, 1/2 banana, 1-2 tsps cocoa powder (plain), and 1 Tbsp of chia seeds…for more ideas visit my blog and the Nutrition Plan at www.ashleykoffrd.com.
–Ashley Koff
[Image via Ashley Koff.]