Fuel, 6 of 9. From Week 6 of the Hockey IQ book.
From the locker room: I’ve never been a morning person, and for years my answer at 5:40 am was ‘not hungry.’ This summer, living on my own for an internship, I made my mom eggs, toast, berries and avocado and told her breakfast is the most important meal of the day. She let me have that one.
The rule: No breakfast = lower energy later in the day. Every time.
Why: By morning you’ve gone ten to twelve hours without food. Energy stores are low and your brain hasn’t been fed. Go to school, then a 4:00 practice, on a bag of Goldfish grabbed on the way out, and the whole day is on fumes. Breakfast is also where two rules land at once: big protein earlier, and steady carbs.
Pick one (five minutes, max):
- 🟥🟨 Eggs + toast
- 🟨🟪 Oatmeal + fruit
- 🟥🟨 Yogurt + granola
- 🟨🟦 Fruit smoothie
Not a morning person? Fair. Something small before the early skate (half a bagel with peanut butter, an ALOHA bar, a fruit smoothie on the way to the bus), the real breakfast after. Small before and real after beats nothing until lunch.
Dorm room / no kitchen: overnight oats made the night before, a box of oats and a jar of peanut butter on the shelf, or the egg cup below in any microwave.
Make it: Two-Minute Microwave Egg Cup. 2 eggs, splash of milk, salt, pepper, a small handful of shredded cheese in a mug. Beat with a fork. Microwave 45 sec, stir, 30–45 more until set. Let it sit 30 seconds, eat with toast. Add spinach or salsa if you want.
Parents: the long version, with the stories, is on the Athlete Nutrition guide.
FIND. A. WAY.
