The Slacker Breakfast

Our mama's had it right - breakfast is the most important meal of the day, y'all!

It's true - research has shown that breakfast eaters tend to be skinnier throughout life; breakfast eaters also tend to eat a better overall diet.

I grew up in a house where breakfast was mandatory, and stayed a breakfast eater for most of my life, until I started working from home. Then, I let it slide a bit, and found myself starving by about 10am, every morning. I mean, STARVING. And, it was stealth hunger too - I didn't realize it was coming on until it had me in it's steely grips.

These days, I have to make a conscious effort to eat breakfast - my morning coffee tends to dull the hunger pangs, and the day gets busy in a hurry. But, on the days that I eat a good breakfast, I'm more able to make better choices for lunch and snacks because I'm not frantic hungry.

Here's some tips for breakfast:

If you are OK with cereal, find one with a little bit of fiber - raisin bran is great, and oatmeal is fantastic. Even if you need to resort to the little packets of sweetened oatmeal, it is still oatmeal and will give you a dose of fiber. One of my favorite breakfasts when it's cold is oatmeal with frozen raspberries thrown on top, a little dab of brown sugar, maybe some almonds, cooked with skim milk - YUM.

Another great breakfast item is yogurt - portable and mixable. Try mixing yogurt with berries and a low-fat granola. Or, mix up a smoothie the night before, give it a shake in the morning, and drink your breakfast on the way to work.

Other great options: hard boiled eggs, pita with hummus, peanut butter and jelly (or banana, my favorite) sandwich, fruit and cheese, nuts, bagel with low-fat cream cheese and tomatoes... other ideas?