Starting With Your Best Food Forward

Are you eating the right breakfast? Take an honest look at your daybreak meal and discover how easily you can spruce it up:

• Make time. Sorry, a protein shake doesn’t count as a meal. Invest time in a healthy breakfast. Try a breakfast sandwich along with some fruit — just use a whole wheat bagel or English muffin with turkey instead of bacon or sausage on white.

• Feast on fiber. Studies conclude that fiber is necessary for cardiovascular and digestive health, but few people get enough. Use breakfast as an opportunity: Prepare whole grain waffles or bran muffins in advance and freeze them for the week — they’ll reheat in a toaster oven in minutes. Have piping hot oatmeal waiting for you by putting it on low in a slow cooker while you sleep.

• Balance nutrients. Breakfast should combine whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats to reap the total benefits. Instead of just toast, spread peanut butter on whole grain, wash it down with 100% juice, and mix up some low–fat yogurt or cottage cheese with berries, dried fruit, and almonds. Or fill a whole grain tortilla with scrambled eggs, cheese, and veggies. It’s quick, and you’ll get an energy boost that also keeps you full long into the workday.