5 strategies to get the most out of breakfast

If your idea of breakfast is a bagel, a bowl of cereal, or a pile of pancakes or waffles, help is here. We'll teach you how eating a breakfast with more protein and a lower glycemic load (GL) can make you healthier.

1. Breakfast is usually the most carbohydrate-heavy meal of the day. Try to limit breakfast carbs to one serving. Have one slice of bread instead of two, eat half a bagel (or a mini-bagel) instead of a whole one, and pour only 200 to 250 millilitres (3/4 to one cup) cold cereal instead of a huge bowlful.
2. Choose lower-GL cereals. These usually include whole grain cereals with at least five grams of fibre per serving. Bran cereals are good choices, along with high-fibre, high-protein cereals and oat cereals.
3. Avoid "white" carbs completely. This means no toaster pastries, white toast with jelly, or muffins made with white flour.
4. Replace some carbohydrate calories with fruit and a high-protein food. Have some orange slices with your eggs, sprinkle nuts and berries on cereal, or enjoy grapefruit along with a bagel or toast spread with peanut butter. This will not only make the meal more filling, it will also lower its effect on your blood sugar.
5. Use small glasses for juice. Fruit juice is fine for you, but only in moderation. Drink too much, and it quickly becomes a high-GL (and high-calorie) food.

In many ways, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. If you start the day with a healthy breakfast, you're more likely to stay off the blood sugar rollercoaster and eat less all day long.