The most important meal of the day.

Breakfast is called the most important meal of the day for a very good reason. Your body needs energy to fuel your day - and breakfast is the meal that should provide this energy.

A good breakfast should have a right combination of the three main macro-nutrients (carbs, proteins and fats), with the carbs playing a more important role in the early part of the day.

After experimenting with what works for me and what I like to eat, I have narrowed my breakfast choices to the following 3 options:

1. THE CARB-HEAVY BREAKFAST

This breakfast of mine centers around the "Old Fashioned Quaker Oats". I prefer the "Original" version of the oats over the quick-cooking version. I cook the oats in low-fat milk over a slow fire for around 10 minutes and throw in some raisins to add some extra fiber to the meal. The oats are topped up with chunks of 1 banana.

The nutritional data of this meal is as follows:

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Original Oats	200	4	38	8
Raisins	78	0.1	20.6	0.8
Low-Fat Milk	122	4.8	11.4	8.1
Banana	90	0.3	23.1	1.1
**TOTALS**	490	9.2	93.1	18

This is the breakfast that I have most of the time (3 to 4 times a week). The 490 calories constitute 25% of my daily calorie needs. The complex carbs from the Oats keeps me satiated most of the morning.

2. THE PROTEIN-HEAVY BREAKFAST

This breakfast centers around eggs. Scrambled eggs to be more exact. I mix 3 eggs in a dash of milk and cook them in a frying pan. Many people ask me if 3 eggs is a bit much. It depends on your dietary needs. You should always check with your dietitian. For me, I find 3 eggs is just right (300 calories with a solid 19.5g of protein). In order to balance the proteins with some carbs, I take 2 slices of whole wheat bread (23.2g carbs) and a glass of low-fat milk (11.4g carbs).

The nutritional data of this breakfast is as follows:

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
3 Scrambled Eggs	299	22.7	3	19.5
Whole Wheat Bread	138	1.8	23.2	7.2
Low-Fat Milk	122	4.8	11.4	8.1
**TOTALS**	559	29.3	37.6	34.8

This is quite a filling breakfast. I usually have it only once or twice a week. The fat, though very high, is the good fat from the egg-yolks. Contrary to popular myth, scientific studies suggest that the fat from eggs (from the yolk) does not raise blood cholesterol levels, and that eggs are safe to consume whole. If you want to cut back on the fat, but still get the benefit of proteins from the eggs, a simple option would be to remove the egg yolk, which will make this breakfast a "high-protein", "moderate-carbs" and "negligible-fat" meal.

3. THE CHEAT BREAKFAST

We all need to indulge ourselves once in a while. For me, that means eating out once a week. On Saturdays, I usually go to the gym early in the morning. On the way back, I tend to visit McDonalds and pick up their Egg McMuffin breakfast for the whole family. The Egg McMuffic sandwich, by itself, is quite a healthy option. It's the hash brown that turns this healthy breakfast into a cheat breakfast.

I choose coffee instead of their canned juices, and end up with a reasonably healthy breakfast.

The nutritional data of this breakfast is as follows:

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Egg McMuffin	300	12	30	18
Hash Brown	150	9	15	1
Black Coffee (No Sugar)	2	0	0	0.3
**TOTALS**	452	21	45	19.3

The cheat breakfast does not appear to be that much of a "cheat meal" after all.

Of course, when it comes to breakfast, nothing beats the first option (Oats). Ever since I switched to this breakfast, I feel more alert and charged during the day. Nothing beats Oats. You just need to adapt your taste buds to its bland taste, which I guess, is difficult for most of us.