Breakfast Foods

This is probably not the first time you've heard that you should begin each day with a good low-fat, high-fiber breakfast. If you skip this meal you will be setting yourself up for an appetite that is harder to control later throughout the day - your blood sugar levels will be all over the place!

Even if you feel you can make it to lunch without eating, DON'T! Keeping yourself from getting hungry by keeping your body fed with small meals is one of the keys to healthy weight management. A great breakfast food is cold or hot cereal with fresh fruit. Try Cheerios, Raisin Bran, oatmeal or any cereal that has at least 3 grams of fiber and little or no fat. Make sure to keep an eye on how much you serve, you might be in the habit of pouring a big bowl of cereal when a smaller amount would do.

To add real flavor to your bowl, try adding:

• Raisins
• Dates
• Blueberries, strawberries or blackberries (fresh or frozen)
• Sliced bananas
• Fresh melon
• Touch of brown sugar or honey

If you are adding milk, be sure to use fat-free milk. Since whole milk contains 150 calories per

1 cup serving and fat-free milk contains only 80 calories, you will slash almost half the amount of calories by making this one simple change. Stay away from butter, margarine, muffins, bagels and low-fiber bread. These foods are loaded with empty calories that won't fill you. In the event you are on the run and a bagel or muffin is the only option, eating half the serving (half a bagel with a light spread, or half a muffin) will keep you on track.

Eat a healthy breakfast from now on and watch your energy soar as you move closer to your healthy goals.

Tip: Instead of drinking juice, eat the fruit. You will add 3 to 5 grams of fiber per serving, which will help you curb your appetite naturally. If you do drink juice, remember that even juice adds to your daily calorie count, so you should keep an eye on the serving size.

How to Pick a Breakfast Cereal -

The healthiest breakfast is whole grain cereal. If you're trying to lose weight or just need a lot of energy, your best bet is a hot cooked cereal of whole grains, such as oat, barley, wheat berries or oatmeal. If you prefer cold cereal, you need to check the list of ingredients carefully. The FIRST ingredient should be a whole grain. Once you've eliminated all the brands made with refined grains, check for added sugars and salt (you want little or none) and fiber (you want a lot).

The fiber content listed on the nutrition label can be confusing because it's based on serving size, and very light cereals (such as puffed wheat) show very little fiber per serving, but an acceptable amount when you adjust for weight. Cereals made from bran (whole grains with the outer covering removed) will have higher fiber content than cereals made from whole grains (which have the "germ" and starchy parts of the grains as well as the fiber), but they can be harder to digest.