Canyon Ranch
A cup of coffee and a sugary Danish. Sound like the breakfast you gulp down in your car on the way to work – if you even have breakfast? Shame on you. Starting the day with a good, healthy breakfast is important for many reasons and, surprisingly, may actually help you lose weight. "Breakfast helps jump start your metabolism for increased energy throughout the day", confirms Marilyn Majchrzak, M.S., R.D. "From the nutritional standpoint, people who eat a healthy breakfast, burn more calories throughout the day, consume more vitamins and minerals, and eat less fat than those who skip breakfast."

Studies also show that breakfast eaters:
Learn better
Maintain a healthy weight better
Have lower cholesterol
Make good choices

What makes for a healthy breakfast?

"A good breakfast contains carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat. This combination satisfies the appetite and stabilizes blood sugar providing energy to get through the morning,” recommends Majchrzak. Smart breakfast choices include whole grains, fruit, low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. When choosing cereals, look for whole grains with at least 5 grams of fiber and less than 8 grams of sugar per serving.

Are protein or commercial breakfast bars a good substitute for breakfast? How about the many frozen breakfast options in the supermarket or at fast food franchises, are they OK?

"These may be occasional options in a hurry, but look for those bars made with whole grains with at least 3 grams of fiber, where sugar is not at the top of the list of ingredients and there are no hydrogenated fats,” cautions Majchrzak. "The same holds for frozen breakfast choices. Skip the oversized breakfast sandwiches, bacon, sausages and full-fat milk. Smarter choices are whole-grain English muffins, bagels and yogurt.”

Here are some tips for a healthy breakfast:
On the run, munch on cold cereal, eat a banana and drink a carton of low-fat milk.

Try nut butters like almond (see recipe below) or peanut on whole-wheat toast with low-fat milk.

Make a smoothie with low-fat yogurt blended with your favorite frozen fruits like blueberries and a hint of citrus.

Wrap leftover veggies, salsa and low-fat shredded cheese in a whole-wheat tortilla.

Top fresh fruit with low-fat yogurt and crispy whole-grain cereals.

Don't forget eggs – scramble two whites and one yolk, combine with veggies and stuff into pita bread.


Breaking your fast each day with nutritious choices can set you up for healthier eating all day long. Here's a quick and healthy nut butter to start your day the right way – great on toast or bagel:

Almond Butter Delight
1 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup almond butter (without added salt)

Combine all ingredients in a blender container and puree until smooth. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

Makes 10 (2-tablespoon) servings, each containing approximately: 65 calories 4 gm. fat 5 gm. protein 5 gm. carbohydrate 2 mg. cholesterol 12 mg. sodium Trace fiber

Resources:
The American Dietetic Association at http://www.eatright.org/ offers nutritional guidelines and suggestions for healthy breakfasts.

Don't be thrown off by the name, check out a great article at http://www.kidsource.com/ about the value of breakfast including the results of several studies.