A lot of people usually ignore the food they take in until it's too late. Only a small percetage seems to mind the meals they eat, all for the benefit of having a better body and improved health. Let's face it, careless eating of what is really "unwanted" or "excessive" hasn't sunk into our minds yet, since we haven't experienced the effects first hand. And perhaps true enough, there are a lot of gamers out there, console or PC alike, who spend their time playing like it was their day job. And for some of us too, hunger is an annoyance like toilet breaks. More so, if you're heavily concentrated in a PvP battle or an epic boss battle. Yeah sure, MMOs have no pause button, thus we either skip meals or just scrounge up what's easy to grab; perhaps day-old donuts? cold pizza? leftover chinese takeouts? a can of soda? Anything to fill that tummy until it pokes you again to eat.  

This article is simple: give gamers a few meal suggestions to get their diet right back on track, and still get your game on!

Let's recap first: "What is a healthy, well-balanced diet?"

A well-balanced diet includes food from the five main food groups. These are:

• bread, cereal (including breakfast cereals) and potatoes (starchy foods),
• fruit (including fresh fruit juice) and vegetables,
• meat and fish,
• milk and dairy foods, and
• fat and sugar.

We'll be dividing your gaming day into a scheme of 6 small meals, rather than 3 large meals. But you can modify this menu for the 3-large-meal scheme, if you wish so. These are just suggestions, take note. You don't have to strictly follow the meals listed here. You can create your own menu if you want to, as long as you follow the schemata of the five main food groups. Remember that the schemata is ordered from most important (first entry) to the least. 

Breakfast: Many of us skip the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is very essential to wake the blood in your system, increase the activity of your metabolism, and prevent you from being sluggish the whole day. For the most part, sugars are needed during this meal of the day, but not too much that will make you crave more sugar and shut you down after a rush. 

Sample easy-to-grab meals:

1. Cereals - less of the sweetened ones, more of the grained varieties like corn flakes, be generous on the milk, preferrable low or non-fat, soy milk can be an alternative too! Not sweet enough? Add fruit slices, like bananas, apples, strawberies, and a dash of sugar to get your sweet fix. 
2. Pancakes - less on the sweet syrup, more on the fruit slice sidings, whipped cream is a better alternative to butter
3. Toast - a good grill, minus excessive burns. add cheese for your dairy fix. 
4. Eggs - sunny-side up with less or no oil to avoid the cholesterol, better yet, hard-boiled is the way to go.
5. Sandwich - A nice combination of scrambled eggs, sliced tomatoes, bits of ham, mayo, plus some leaves like cabbage!
6. Albatross18 - Nothing like a nice game of golf to start your day!

Mid-Morning Snack: This snack can be skipped, if you're still full from that hearty breakfast, since lunch is just a couple of hours or so away. Don't force yourself to eat, don't worry about skipping this meal. Lunch will be a lot more important! For those who wish for a light snack, though... here are a few suggestions:

1. Oatmeals - good for cleansing your system of unwanted or undigested materials; Got a sweet tooth? Add a dash of cocoa powder, not the milk chocolate variety to avoid excessive fats; fruit slices are also the way to go, the juices from the fruits will naturally flavor the oats; Want something unique? Mix a portion of cocoa powder with a few drops of mint flavoring; Chocolate mint treat has never been so healthy!
2. Soy Milk - the heavy soy will keep you filled until the next meal; unsweetened is preferred, but it won't harm to take sweetened too. Sleepy? Use soy milk as creamer for your coffee, decaf is better too!
3. Top Speed, Crazy Kart -  and other racing games... will keep your adrenalin pumping for the next game!

Lunch: Another important meal of the day. Meals during this time should be heavy, since you've got all noon until the next snack and dinner comes. You need all the energy you can muster up! 

1. Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Meat, Corn and carrots - Add your favorite gravy on those mashers and meat! Grilled fish is also advised, if meat is unavailable; keep those corn and carrots fresh, no artificial spices whatsoever, their juices are enough to flavor the siding
2. Baked Potatoes topped in cheese, Ham or Beef Steak - Very heavy on the meat, less on the veggies! 
3. Veggie Salad Macaroni- leaves like cabbages and lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, Caesar's Salad Dressing, bits of grilled chicken, croutons, all on Macaroni oiled on olive oil plus peppers! Perfect all-around meal! 
4. Rohan, Warhammer, 2Moons, World of Warcraft - engage yourself in a midday PvP tussle! That'll keep you satisfied until your next defeat!

Afternoon Snack: This snack comes late in the afternoon, with lunch so far back hours ago. Eat light, you need the space for dinner!

1. Corn Nachos sided with carrot sticks, button mushroom slices and melted cheese: Don't want the carrot sticks? Dip them in melted cheese for added taste, you won't know the difference!
2. Tacos: A real treat! Just make sure your meat is less on the fat!
3. Ragnarok Online, Lunia - Stroll around leisurely, killing mobs along the way in a relaxing game!

Dinner: Night comes, and you're exhausted from all that gaming... or you're probably fired up to pull an all-nighter! Meals during this time are lighter than lunch, but still heavy on the tummy!

1. Pizza - Not just any pizza, it's best to have those veggie + meat toppings on it. Bell peppers, onions, olives, tomatoes, along with mozzarella cheese, and slices of meat! Thin crust is better than thick crust, to prevent those carbs from getting wasted away when you sleep. Don't be scared of anchovy pizza, it's fish and you need it!
2. Ramen - Good ol' meat broth, egg or flour noodles, generous amounts of meat, with steamed veggies! Perfect on a cold night!
3. Pasta - Preferrably the pesto type; natural olive oils, bits of leafy veggies and meat, plus croutons. Feeling more saucy? Try the Pomodoro ones; mashed tomatoes used as sauce instead of tomato paste. More natural, and healthier!
4. Combat Arms, Gunz, Manga Fighter - snipe your enemies out!

Evening Snack: Make sure you eat light during this time. You need to be fully digested before you sleep. Sleeping on a full tummy poses health risks coz your metabolism is low when sleeping, making it harder and slower for the system to digest. 

1. Fruits - slices of fruits, a variation or just one kind, is enough
2. Crackers - Add cheese slices if you want to
3. Chips - less on the salted ones, pick the low-fat, low sodium chips. Get a decent dip, if you hate the bland taste.
4. Your preferred game - pulling an all-nighter? Take your pick!

And that's it! Remember, these are just suggestions. What's important is that you've got the five main food groups to fuel your system. Avoid the fatty and sugary meals as the day passes, you won't need it later during the day. Fruits are a nice alternative to snacking, they taste good anyways. And always remember to take in lots of water! Eight glasses of water a day! It's better to have a water bottle beside you while you play! 

Happy Gaming!