Breakfast for diet champions

I always ate breakfast — until I met Jack, who still eats a banana each morning and calls it a meal. Know that I am not blaming my husband for turning me away from a meal I knew I should eat. But not eating breakfast became a habit. Plus, I thought I was saving calories.

Now we all know — or should know — that breakfast is a very important meal. Eat a good breakfast and you’ll have a better chance of controlling your food intake the rest of the day. Understand the word breakfast — breaking the fast from a night’s sleep — and you’ll be sure to make this meal part of your eating plan.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m heading for the nearest donut store to grab a chocolate glazed delight or Mickey Ds for an Egg McMuffin. And since one of this week’s goals is to eat something new each day for breakfast, I found this list on www.ediets.com really helpful. The article I read also encouraged a breakfast of unprocessed, whole foods, which are digested and absorbed more slowly than refined, processed foods, and choosing foods with a low Glycemic impact, to lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.

What follows are 10 low-Glycemic Index breakfasts from eDiets. I’m eating one a day, but refining it. For example, this morning I started with breakfast No. 1: Steel-cut organic oats. But I added cinnamon, and substituted soy milk for cow's milk, and an apple for raisins. After all, it’s my eating plan!

For me, mixing it up at breakfast is also a test: I’m looking for the breakfasts that keep me satisfied until lunch.

1. Steel-cut oats and raisins with nonfat milk 
Whole-grain breakfast cereals, like whole oats, contain protein and fiber and stay with you throughout the morning. Although raisins have a high-glycemic index, their glycemic load is low, because in the proper portion size (2 tablespoons) it fits into your healthy diet.

2. Crunchy yogurt parfait 
Layered parfait of protein powder-fortified nonfat yogurt, wheat germ, chopped walnuts and blueberries.

3. Cottage-cheese berry delight 
Low-fat cottage cheese is a good source of protein and goes well any seasonal or frozen berries.

4. Southwestern omelet, whole-wheat toast and grapefruit 
Use egg substitute or two egg whites and one yolk; saute in a nonstick pan with diced onions, and green and red peppers. Add one-quarter teaspoon of chili powder, then add eggs and cook until set. Serve topped with a tablespoon of salsa. Round out this meal with whole-wheat toast and half a grapefruit.

5. Cheese-and-tomato sandwich with avocado 
Enjoy with whole-grain bread and low-fat cheese of choice. One-quarter cup of mashed avocado provides healthy monounsaturated fat that's quite satisfying and tasty.

6. Eggless egg sandwich 
Mix firm tofu, egg-free mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and garlic to taste. Serve on a whole-grain English muffin with cantaloupe.

7. Mexican cottage cheese 
Toast a sourdough or whole-wheat English muffin and top with 1-percent or fat-free cottage cheese and salsa. Serve with a cup of cantaloupe.

8. Berry nutty yogurt parfait 
Mix seasonal or frozen berries with a sprinkle of nuts and wheat germ. This combo works well together to achieve stable blood glucose and sustains you throughout the morning.

9. Vegetarian pita pocket 
Quickly saute onions, mushrooms, green pepper and diced firm tofu in a nonstick pan. Add a couple of teaspoons of tomato sauce, season with onion and garlic powder, and serve in a whole-wheat mini-pita pocket.

10. Cold (low GI) cereal with milk or dairy substitute and fruit 
Choose a cereal with at least 10 grams of fiber per serving — one that's low in sugar. Good choices include Kashi GOLEAN, Fiber One or All-Bran. Add 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds, your choice of 1-percent or nonfat milk or unsweetened soy or rice milk, and one cup of high-fiber berries.