Breakfast Excuse Busters
by Amy Hunt

Breakfast Bum Excuse: "I need my sleep!"
You're Busted!: Surrender the Snooze Button. If you're anything like me, you'd prefer to sleep a little later rather than get up in time to prepare a meal in the wee small hours. When you're not a morning person, it's hard to resist that snooze button, but it will pay off more than those 10 blissful moments of laziness. In time, you'll find that working in a good breakfast will give you much more energy to face the day than spending a few more moments under the covers ever could!

Breakfast Bum Excuse: "The munchkins make it impossible!"
You're Busted!: Make it a Priority. Maybe it's so hectic getting the kids off, you just can't seem to find the time to put anything together? It's easy to settle for Pop Tarts or doughnuts for the kids, but the whole family will benefit from a better breakfast. Studies show that children perform better in school when they've eaten a healthy breakfast. Plan your family's breakfasts the night before and re-assess your morning schedule and tasks so you can make meal preparation a priority. Don't forget to partake yourself -- children who see their parents eat breakfast are more likely to eat it themselves. *

Breakfast Bum Excuse: "I get hungrier sooner when I eat breakfast!"
You're Busted! Give your Breakfast a Protein Punch Lots of typical breakfast foods are comprised of simple carbohydrates: white bread for toast, many cereals (especially kids' brands), regular bagels, etc. Simple carbs send your blood sugar through the roof because they are so easily digested. When your blood sugar comes back down, you feel ravenous. Punch up your breakfast's staying power by including protein. Examples: spread peanut butter onto fruit or whole wheat toast; choose a whole wheat bagel and pair it up with some cottage cheese; eat yogurt with your Nutrigrain bar.

Breakfast Bum Excuse: "I'm running late... every day!" You're Busted!: You can Take it with You. So you say you're too busy to sit down and eat in the a.m. rush? Nowadays, there are a lot of healthy portable breakfast options that you can easily eat on way to work or pack up and eat once you get to work or school. Mind you, none of them involve passing through the fast food drive-thru! Biscuits may be cheap, filling, and convenient, but they are any waist-watcher's enemy! If you find yourself having to grab something at an eatery, choose a plain bagel, hotcakes without butter and lite syrup, or an English muffin.

Breakfast Bum Excuse: "But I don't like breakfast foods."
You're Busted!: Break the Breakfast Rules. I hear you. I'm not a big breakfast food fan either. But whoever said you had to eat breakfast, to, er, eat breakfast? You can eat anything you want! For example, peanut butter on a slice of wheat bread, fat free milk, and a piece of fruit will do the trick. The important part about breakfast is eating something and eating healthily, not forcing yourself to eat eggs or cereal. If you don't fancy the usual fare, that's no reason to forgo a.m. eating altogether.

Breakfast Bum Excuse: "But I'm trying to lose weight!"
You're Busted!: What a Lousy Way to Lose! If you've been taking the meal-skipping approach to losing weight, I'll bet you're getting pretty frustrated. Think doing without breakfast is going to cut enough calories to lead to permanent weight loss? Actually, you may be setting yourself up for weight gain. Chances are this is going to backfire on you, because skipping meals at any time of the day often leads to over-eating. Plus, as we mentioned earlier, skipping breakfast doesn't do your metabolism any favors.

***https://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/l/blbusters2.htm

* DVO welcomes your kitchen hints and cooking or nutrition questions! Email us and we'll post your hints and Q/A's in upcoming newsletters! *