Healthy Breakfasts for You

The importance of breakfast on your day

Eat daily. The importance of breakfast was highlighted in a recent survey of 2,959 members of the National Weight Control Registry (a group of more than 5,000 people who have lost a minimum of 30 pounds and kept them off for at least a year), 78 percent reported eating breakfast every day, and nearly 90 percent eat breakfast at least 4 days a week.

Eat early. On weekdays, especially if you work out in the morning, try to eat as soon as possible after getting up; a healthy breakfast will fuel your A.M. activity and prevent you from getting so hungry you pig out at lunch. On weekends, don't delay breakfast more than 2 hours. "The sooner you start your metabolism by eating, the sooner it can start burning calories," says Elisabetta Politi, R.D., nutrition manager of the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical Center.

Eat enough. Don't worry about blowing your diet by eating a big meal so early in the day. Politi says that a more substantial breakfast may actually help reduce cravings and overeating at night. You should aim to get 20 to 25 percent of your day's calories from breakfast, which means about 350 if you're on a 1,500-a-day diet.

Eat smart. Healthy grab-and-go choices like high-fiber, low-sugar breakfast bars are fine, Politi says. But whenever possible, choose unprocessed, homemade healthy breakfasts that are sure to have less bloat-causing sodium and no chemical additives.