Weight Management: Break the Breakfast Rules

Break traditions. Who says that breakfast must be cereal, pancakes, or bacon, eggs, and toast? Your digestive tract is perfectly happy to receive a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with mustard or a vegetarian bean burrito with onions and reduced-fat cheddar first thing in the morning.

Try Your Cereal To-go
How many times have you grabbed a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast because it is easy to eat in the car? You can get a lot more fiber in your diet and spare the fat by grabbing a fistful of whole-grain cereal, instead. To save time, prepare a few days' worth of cereal-to-go portions in sandwich bags, and stash them in your cupboard on Sunday night. Choose a cereal that has at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.

Power Produce
Make a new rule to eat at least one serving of fruits or vegetables at every meal, beginning with breakfast. Produce items contain a wide variety of nutrients and provide bulk, which makes you feel fuller.

Apples, bananas, and pears are natural convenience foods for eating on the run. If you have time for a bowl of cereal, add a handful of berries, peach slices, or pineapple chunks. Put strawberries or banana slices in your pancakes. Peppers, onions, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, or any vegetable dish left over from last night can be folded into your omelet. Or, if you must have that bagel, put some lettuce, tomato, and onion slices on top. A small glass of fruit juice (3/4 cup) counts as another fruit serving, which helps you meet the five fruit or vegetable servings a day recommended by dietitians.

Spray It On
When making pancakes or French toast, use cooking spray instead of butter on your frying pan--or nothing at all if using a nonstick pan. One spritz of cooking spray might have 0.4 calories, compared with more than 100 calories per tablespoon of butter or margarine. (A related way to reduce calories is to use less oil than is called for in recipes and when sautéing. You can always add more oil, if necessary.)

Give a Cow a Break
Don't rule out soy milk as a substitute for cow's milk in your cereal. Soy milk is very low in saturated fat--the type of fat that may raise your risk for heart disease. Look for a soy milk that is fortified with calcium.