The Number One Way to Improve Your Diet

Eat Breakfast. These tips make it both fast and nutritious.

Molie Katzen

Mornings are busy, but if in your haste to get out of the house you rely on coffee-shop muffins for breakfast-or skip the meal altogether-you're not only taking the chance that you'll feel sluggish before noon, you're also setting yourself up to do battle with your weight. In addition to being high in calories, muffins, bagels, and other refined carbohydrates are digested so quickly that they flood your body with glucose (blood sugar). That triggers a surge of insulin, which lowers glucose, leading to a dip in energy and rebound hunger a few hours later. A healthy morning meal revs up your metabolism and controls your hunger all day long. In fact, 78 percent of successful dieters are regular breakfast eaters, according to a report from the National Weight Control Registry. What about your busy schedule? No worries. My tips for on-the-go breakfasts let you eat smart and still get to work on time.

• Turn to oatmeal Australian researchers found that oatmeal is one of the most filling foods, more than four times as satiating as a croissant. But to nix your hunger and please your taste buds, try whole-oat groats (sold in bulk at natural-food stores) in place of the usual rolled oats. They take about 45 minutes to cook; prepare a big batch and refrigerate it so you can bring a serving to work every morning to reheat in the microwave. To add flavor and extra nutrition, try my chai oatmeal; find the recipe at shape.com/healthykitchen.

• Rediscover eggs High in filling protein (6 grams), one egg has just 78 calories. Hardboil a few ahead of time (they'll last up to a week shell-on in the refrigerator) and grab one on your way out the door. Eat it alone with a little salt and pepper, or cut it in half and have it on a toasted whole-wheat English muffin.

• Make cereal portable Mix a ready-to-eat whole-grain cereal with dried fruit and a few nuts in a plastic baggie. Munch on it dry in the car, or have it with milk or yogurt at your desk.

• Have lunch for breakfast You don't need to eat traditional breakfast foods in the a.m. If cheese and crackers or turkey on whole wheat sounds good, go for it. Even last night's dinner leftovers are an option!

• Bag the pastries Tempted by the sweets sold where you stop for your morning coffee? Pack a slice of whole-grain toast spread with peanut or almond butter and a little honey in a sandwich bag (fold it in half to make it less messy). It's a far better option than coffee cake. Plus, it's protein-packed, so you won't have the urge to scrounge around the vending machine looking for more to nosh on in an hour.

Tip: PB&J on whole wheat is a fast healthy a.m. meal.