Lose Weight, Feel Great With a Good Breakfast

A healthy breakfast that includes high-fiber cereal, fruit and milk can help you lose weight and fend off diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

The article noted that research suggests that people who eat breakfast are leaner than those who skip breakfast. One study found that people who did without breakfast were at four times greater risk of obesity compared to those who started the day off right, says an article in the Harvard Men's Health Watch.

High-fiber cereals are essential to breakfast's health benefits. Cereals should have at least six grams of fiber per serving but should have less than 10 grams of sugar per serving. Eat high-fiber cereal with nonfat milk and bananas, berries or apple slices, the article suggested.

Other healthy breakfast choices include whole-grain or pumpernickel breads and trans-fat free soft margarine or cholesterol-lowering spreads containing plant stanols. While you don't need to eliminate eggs altogether, it's best to limit them to the occasional brunch, the article said.

Other breakfast foods, such as bacon, hash browns and croissants have far too much fat or salt and should be avoided, the researchers said in the February story.

Of course, taste has a lot to do with how well an individual sticks to a particular breakfast, so the experts suggest trying out different foods to find out which offers you the most enjoyable -- and healthy -- morning meal.