# eat one's Wheaties

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/eat-ones-wheaties
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To prepare or fortify oneself for an activity requiring exertion.

## Examples

- You should eat your Wheaties before that long hike.
- The team needs to eat their Wheaties because the next game will be very difficult.
- Before facing the grueling final examination, the student felt he needed to eat his Wheaties to summon the necessary mental fortitude.

## Origin

An allusion to the breakfast cereal Wheaties, long advertised as the "Breakfast of Champions", and its long-standing association with sports celebrities.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.