Breakfast is Essential

Some people think that weight loss/management means skipping meals, and breakfast seems to be the easiest one to skip. However, eating a healthy breakfast is essential to keeping your metabolism running and giving your body the fuel it needs to make it through the beginning of your day. Think about it: your body goes into "resting mode" after dinner has been used up and you've gone to sleep. The best way to wake it up and get your body burning calories again is to consume a healthy breakfast.

No time in the morning to make breakfast? Consider preparing a bowl of cereal (minus the milk of course) before bedtime and leaving it out to make it quicker. No time to slice bananas? Just eat it whole! Grab a yogurt, bagel and a glass of juice. Breakfast doesn't have to be complicated, but it does have to be healthy. Avoid the urge to grab a greasy sausage biscuit from a fast food place.

Recommended foods:

• Cereal: Whole grain cereals especially those with nuts, granola, raisins or other fruit. For hot cereals consider oatmeal. It's loaded with nutrients, lowers your cholesterol and comes in convenient little packets to make breakfast easier.
• Toast: Use whole wheat breads that are less processed. You should be able to see some grains in your bread. Load it up with peanut butter, jam or honey instead of butter.
• Milk: Switch to a 2% lowfat or a skim non-fat milk. You get the same nutritional value with much less fat. 
• Yogurt: Calcium, protein and fruit all in one little cup. What could be easier?

Of course there are tons of other great things to eat for breakfast. Those are just a few recommendations to help get you started. Remember starvation diets never work! Your body needs a minimum of 1,200 calories per day to function normally and consuming less will throw your body into a fat storing, muscle wasting starvation mode. Also, starvation leads to binge eating which in turn leads to weight gain.

Recipe of the day:

Carrot Raisin Muffins


1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute such as splenda - be sure to read the package to know the equivalent amount to use)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs (or egg substitute equivalent or use 6 egg whites for less fat)
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 teaspoon vinegar and let stand 5 minutes then add to mix)
1/3 cup canola oil ( or use 1/3 cup applesauce to reduce fat)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups finely shredded carrot
1 medium apple, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans are my favorite)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare muffin pan with 12 muffin papers or cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla then the carrots, apple, raisins and nuts. Add these to the flour mixture and stir until blended.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 yummy muffins!
Approx 230 calories per muffin (less if you used sugar substitute), 37 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 7 g fat (less if you used applesauce and egg whites)