Breakfast Really is the Most
Important Meal You Can Eat
Done right, it kick-starts your day
Done wrong, it will grow your gut
Here's how to keep that from happening

at a restaurant

INSTEAD OF Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, or a platter of pancakes

ORDER Two scrambled eggs with a side of Canadian bacon, two slices of whole-wheat toast with jelly, orange juice, and a cup of fruit

Eggs get a bad rap, out it's the company they keep--home fries and bacon--that are the true artery-cloggers. Skip the high-fat sides and instead go for extra-lean protein with a slice or two of Canadian bacon. Then, out for the whole-wheat toast and fruit to get in your morning dose of fiber and energy-replenishing carbohydrates.

at the fast-food joint

INSTEAD OF Flapjacks, French toast, or a biscuit-and-egg sandwich

ORDER A sausage breakfast burrito and a fruit-and-yogurt parfait

You read right: sausage. Why? Because nutrition is relative, and a sausage breakfast burrito is actually the lesser of many evils. For its small size, the sausage burrito contains a generous 13 grams of protein (the fruit-and-yogurt parfait adds another four). The entire meal comes in at less than 500 calories. In contrast, Burger King's Enormous Omelet Sandwich packs a whopping 740 calories and 46 grams of fat.

at your desk

INSTEAD OF A candy bar, a jumbo coffee--or nothing at all

UNPACK Two Nutrigrain Breakfast Bars, a low-fat yogurt, and a piece of fruit

You may be able to get a Pop Tart and your office vending machine--which is fine as long as you want a sugar surge and then the requisite crash two hours later. Didn't think so. A better option: Toss a couple of Nutrigrain bars into your briefcase along with a piece of fruit and a container of yogurt. You'll get a hefty close of complex carbs for long-term energy, plus protein from the yogurt and fiber from the fruit.

at home

INSTEAD OF Leftover pizza or your favorite sweetened cereal

CHOOSE A high-fiber cereal such as Wheat Chex topped with 1% low-fat milk and fresh fruit, plus whole-grain toast and peanut butter

Whole-grain cereals are loaded with vitamins and minerals, including zinc for a top-flight immune system and selenium to held head off cancer. (For more great nigh-fiber options, see page 24.) Plan on eating berries with your cereal? You should no matter the kind you select, they all contain potent antioxidants capable of thwarting cancer and heart disease.

at the morning meeting

INSTEAD OF A jelly doughnut or apple danish with coffee

REACH FOR A multigrain bagel with a dab of cream cheese and a small serving of orange juice

Doughnuts and danishes may taste good going down, but they'll saddle you with up to 10 times the saturated fat of the bagel and provide your body with just a sinai fraction of the 18 grams of protein found in the bagel and cream cheese combo. As for the OJ, the fructose the Juice gives your brain the small natural sugar jolt you need to stay awake while your co-workers drone on and on.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Weider Publications COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group

by Elizabeth M. Ward, Men's Fitness, Feb, 2006