What do you eat at 5am for breakfast?

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I just started nursing school this week, and I have to eat my breakfast around 5am before class. During clinical it will be even earlier. My problem is that I have a hard time eating anything so early in the morning, especially when I am tired, stressed, and in a hurry! So far the only thing I can really eat is yogurt, and I'm worried that it won't be substantial for a long day on my feet at the hospital. I even bought sliced Hawaiian bread to "trick" myself into eating! And I am definitely NOT someone who avoids eating, so this problem is completely new to me. Please help! What are your favorites?

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Fruit is always my go to food. I'm not in NS yet but it's hard for me to even eat at 7am. A glass of juice always seems to help get me in the mood to eat also. Sometimes I'll have that before I even get ready in the mornings and then by the time I'm done getting myself and the kids ready, I'm ready to eat. You could have a glass of juice, some fruit and yogurt before you leave and then have a granola or cereal bar maybe when you get to school. Also, might think about a spoon or two of peanut butter. Some granola bars have it.

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My pre-school meal of choice is: whole wheat english muffin toasted, topped with peanut butter and fruit (I put sliced banana on one half and fresh blueberries or strawberries on the other). With a glass of milk, it's high enough in protein and fiber to last me a few hours. Yum! I could eat that at any time day or night.

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Those sound like good breakfast ideas! I have been struggling with eating breakfast early too. Usually I grab a bowl of cereal, but then I feel like I'm starving around 9 AM or so.

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Specializes in LDRP.

Have you tried making a smoothie? Add in a ton of fruit, fruit juice, and frozen yogurt that you like and maybe some ice as well. The smoothie may go down more easily than solid food - plus, they're delicious. ;) And then maybe you can work yourself up from a smoothie to something more substantial along the way.

I am BIG on breakfast, and I almost always have fruit and Grape Nuts cereal with vitamin-fortified soy milk. Grape Nuts is probably the healthiest cereal you will ever find - so many nutrients and vitamins. My requirements and recommendations for a good hearty breakfast would be:

1) PROTEIN - to wake you up in the morning.

2) FIBER - to get things moving, if ya know what I mean.

3) IRON - for energy, and because many women are deficient.

Hopefully you can take baby steps and get your body used to eating something more hearty in time. Go slowly, don't make yourself sick. And in the mean time, if you know you're going to be hungry later because you can't eat a big breakfast, then bring lots of snacks! Hope it ends up working out for you. :clown:

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm having the same issue! I start clinicals next week, so I'm trying to get in the habit of eating breakfast. So far, it consists of coffee and a pop tart :rolleyes:. I will be trying to work on this breakfast thing! I would suggest stashing granola bars in your school bag and car though.

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I usually grab a granola bar in the morning and take it with me to school. I'm trying to drink less coffee, because it's making me really jittery (in a bad way) during classes, and it makes it harder for me to get to sleep at night. So I usually also bring a thermos with cranberry or pomegranate juice.

I also love kombucha, I buy it at my local health food store. It's a fermented Chinese tea that helps me with concentration and energy. It tastes kind of vinegar-y to some, so it takes a little getting used to. :)

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Here is a wonderful breakfast that is easy to make and has real staying power.

1/2 cup All-Bran

1/2 cup yogurt (I like vanilla)

1/2 -- 1 cup fruit

a drizzle of honey

Mix them all together and enjoy.

The reason this is such a good option is that it has minimal starch and sugar and lots of protein and fiber. You don't get the sugar high that comes with Pop-Tarts or sweetened cereal, so there is no crash a couple of hours later.

You could even put this in a fridge container and take it with you.

Now I've gone and made myself hungry. Guess I'll have to make this as a snack.

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I don't eat before I go to school. I bring something with me to eat during our first break (we start class at 8am, and get a 10 minute break every hour). I don't know what I'll do with clinical...hopefully my pre will be in the caf or somewhere else I can eat so I can delay eating as long as possible since eating early in the morning or too soon after I wake up makes me sick.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

I love my Fiber One bars! I have one every morning :)

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I was getting concerned, the first few posts never mentioned COFFEE! Lol I dont have a huge appetite early either, but I force in a few bites of anything, hopefully when I get used to this schedule I will be hungrier. I love Special K strawberry bars. Not too hard, not too soft, go great with my coffee. I also like half a wheat bagel and cream cheese, a handful of honey bunches of oats or similar cereal. I often make my own fruit muffins, too. Sometimes I will eat the flavored waffles (No syrup or butter) or make cinnamon or peanutbutter toast. Love bananas, anytime, any place :) Hope this helps igve you a few ideas!

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I was getting concerned, the first few posts never mentioned COFFEE! Lol

I don't want to be caffeine dependent. I'm not planning on drinking coffee unless I'm absolutely desperate. I've felt this way for awhile, and I'm not changing just because I'm in nursing school.

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