Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Friday, March 13, 1959.

The nutrition class, directed by the instructor, Miss Lafferty, made an experiment upon the necessity of eating a proper breakfast recently.

The experiment was spread over a two-week period. The class was divided into two sections, one eating breakfast each day during the school week, and the other eliminating the meal entirely. For the next week the groups switched assignments.

The experiment, not too well controlled, made the results highly individual. However, the discovered the class members made about themselves were remarkable enough.

When the breakfast was excluded, the students noticed hunger pangs, occurring in the late morning hours, beginning about 10 a.m. Most found they were tired and sleepy in their classes, and anxious to be off to the Union for a snack. Some found if they didn’t eat breakfast, their appetite for the whole day fell off. Other noted effects were: embarrassing stomach growls, restlessness, irritability, poor mental outlook, undue tiredness, and even a headache or two were attributed to this cause.

When the group was assigned to eat breakfast, their comments were better than those used by advertising campaigns to promote their products. In general it was agreed that all felt better, peppier, and more alert in their classes if they included a good breakfast in the day’s meals.

Bill Bartley, one of the experimenters, had this to say: “As a result of participating in the breakfast survey, my opinion is that a good breakfast definitely incites better response to the morning activities. The week that I did not eat breakfast, other than coffee, was what I would consider miserable. Hunger pangs, commencing around 9:30-10:00, deflecting my concentration and thinking, aside from that embarrassing ‘growling’ that announces one’s hunger to the world.”

The proper breakfast menu suggested by the class would include the following:

1 glass of citrus juice

1 egg and/or bowl of cereal if desired

Toast and butter and jelly if desired

8 oz. glass of milk

They would advise all who consider breakfast unimportant to try this simple experiment.  They are convinced that a good breakfast helps to have a good day.