There's no better way to start your day than with a healthy breakfast. For many people, this includes some quality protein. Keeping your carbohydrate foods to the proper level will help optimize blood sugar, which will give you more physical and mental energy for the day's tasks ahead. On the other hand, cereal, doughnuts or pancakes will get your day off to a bad start.

Eggs are the perfect breakfast food. While they're not just for breakfast, they just could make your first meal of the day ideal, and a bit easier to prepare - whether poached, scrambled, soft-boiled, fried, hard-boiled or in an omelet. Omelets are great because they can include a serving or two of vegetables, and also provide a change of pace. On weekends, when you have more time to prepare breakfast, a fancy omelet with a sauce makes for a nice change. Another version of the omelet is quiche, made with vegetables, meat or fish. You'll want to make this ahead of time to reduce cooking time in the morning.

Eggs can also be added to a fruit smoothie in the blender. In this case, avoid the raw whites because they contain an enzyme, avidin, which may interfere with your body's ability to make and use the nutrient biotin. The yolk does not contain avidin. Smoothies can also be made from plain yogurt (avoid the sweet types), one egg yolk (or more), and fresh fruit. If you find some blueberries or strawberries that you just love, buy a lot of them and store them in the freezer. To make your smoothie, just throw them in frozen. Many people like peanut or almond butter or use whole nuts or seeds in their smoothies. Don't be afraid to experiment.

If you still want more variety or are really in a hurry, here's another healthy breakfast variation: cottage cheese, or real ricotta cheese. Combine it with anything you want that doesn't contain refined sugar and you've got a really quick, easy and healthy meal. Cottage or ricotta cheese with fresh fruit makes a really quick breakfast. Look for cheese with the least amount of ingredients, especially those with names you can't pronounce. Some people like these cheeses as part of a smoothie.

Whatever you choose to have for breakfast, just remember it's the most important meal of the day, so don't cheat yourself or your family out of it.

Dr. Phil Maffetone

MAF BioNutrionals

http://www.MAFGroup.com

This page was last edited on 04/22/2010