If Jennifer Calderwood, Seneca sophomore, doesn’t eat breakfast, she feels hungry and is always wondering when she will be able to grab a bite to eat. “Eating breakfast provides me with more energy, even through lunch,” she says. “Because of my late schedule, I don’t eat until later in the day.” Like many students, she usually grabs something as she is running out the door. But this can lead to unhealthy choices.

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but it’s often the most overlooked. Experts have been telling us for years that a healthy breakfast refuels your body and jump-starts your day, yet many of us still start the morning with sugary cereals, highly caloric drinks or nothing.

People should eat foods high in fiber and protein, says Leslie Bonci, registered dietitian and director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Foods with fiber and protein help one to feel fuller for longer, and the body needs to expend more calories to digest them,” Bonci says.

Here are some helpful suggestions to make over your current breakfast plan.

If you drink your breakfast

If you can’t seem to function without a jolt of caffeine in the morning, you might want to take a second glance at what your drink is giving you in calories. One 12-ounce latte contains 180 calories and 10 grams of fat.

If it’s caffeine you’re going for, Nancy Donahey, clinical dietitian at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, suggests regular or flavored brewed coffees and teas plus fat-free half-and-half or creamers. If it’s a warm caffeine-free beverage you’re seeking, Donahey recommends decaf coffee or flavored tea.

Fruit smoothies or shakes also can provide you with the vitamins you should be getting with your breakfast. Bonci recommends a breakfast shake that combines milk, fat-free yogurt and frozen fruit or a banana.

If you hit up fast food breakfasts

You’re driving down the road, and those gleaming golden arches tempt you. You might want to think again about heading through the drive-thru. A McDonald’s bacon, egg and cheese McGriddle has about 560 calories and 32 grams of fat.

If you just can’t force yourself away from fast food, Donahey says the McDonalds Egg McMuffin is one of the lowest-fat fast food breakfast items, with 300 calories and 12 from fat. “It can provide you with some protein along with carbohydrates to carry you through the morning,” she says.

She also recommends staying away from sandwiches on croissants and biscuits because both breads are high in fat. Omitting cheese also will help reduce fat grams and calories.

If you love Tony the Tiger

Everybody loves breakfast with the Trix rabbit, the Lucky Charms’ leprechaun or Tony the Tiger. However, these cereals provide you with large amounts of sugar.

If your version of breakfast is milk and cereal, Donahey says to look for cereals that are made with whole grains. Sugars — sucrose, high fructose corn syrup and honey, to name a few — should not be among the first few ingredients, she says.

Rallie McAllister, a physician weight-loss expert and newspaper columnist, has published a cereal report card on WebMD.com.

A+

For: Cereals that are very low in sugar and fat, but high in fiber.

Try: Fiber One, All Bran Original or Extra, Nabisco Shredded Wheat

A

For: Cereals with very low sugar and fat and some fiber.

Try: Cheerios, Total Corn Flakes, Wheaties, Crispix, Rice Krispies, Special K

B

For: Cereals that are high in fiber and low in fat.

Try: Complete Oat Bran Flakes, Frosted Mini Wheats, Grape-Nuts, Raisin Bran

C and D

For: Cereals with more than 3 grams of fat.

Try: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Raisin Nut Bran, Cracklin’ Oat Bran, Banana Nut Crunch,

F

For: Cereals that are low in fiber and high in fat and sugar.

Try: Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Frosted Flakes, Fruity Pebbles, Honey-Comb, Reese’s Puffs

If you just don’t have the time

Nearly four in 10 adults skip breakfast, according to a recent poll by ABC News. A recent study by psychologist David Schlundt of Vanderbilt University assigned women to either eat or skip breakfast for 12 weeks. Schlundt found that eating breakfast helps spread your food intake throughout the day. “Skipping breakfast makes you very hungry later in the day and leads to overeating and poor food choices,” he says.

If you are into the grab-and-go lifestyle, like Calderwood, Bonci recommends a parfait with vanilla yogurt, berries, granola and slivered almonds or a trail mix of cereal, pretzels, nuts, dried fruit and granola.

Just a few changes in your breakfast diet can make those long days on campus a little easier to handle.