Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? We love all of our meals and don’t want to slight any of them, but if we had to choose, we would probably have to say that breakfast is the most important meal of your day. Making sure you eat the right foods at breakfast can really determine how well your day starts. If you go for that sugary bowl of cereal, you’ll set yourself up for disaster when you get a sugar crash or start to feel hungry again mid-morning.

So how do you make sure your breakfast sustains you? Include high-fiber carbohydrates, some protein and possibly a little bit of good fat.

Here are some good breakfast options:

• Oatmeal with fresh fruit like berries, kiwi or peaches. Be sure to include some nonfat or low-fat yogurt for protein and you can add a couple of nuts into your oatmeal for “good” monounsaturated fat. Or if you don’t like nuts try adding some ground flaxseed or wheat germ which will increase the nutrient and fiber content.
• Scrambled eggs or egg white omelets are great for high quality protein; add some fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and vegetables to get nutrients and fiber with very few calories. Add a side of whole grain toast or a whole wheat English muffin for high fiber complex carbohydrates.
• If you like pancakes or waffles, be sure to top it with some fresh fruit and nonfat Greek yogurt or low fat, low-sodium cottage cheese. Look for whole grain pancakes and waffles.
• For a quick and easy breakfast, go for a wholegrain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Then wrap it around a banana and head out the door!

What is your favorite, most nutritious breakfast?