Tips for a healthy diet include planning your meals. Begin today by planning your breakfast for tomorrow morning. Starting your day with breakfast is a true way to jump-start your metabolism after sleeping all night, while your body rests and rejuvenates. People who skip breakfast commonly struggle more with weight problems than do those who eat breakfast. According to Nancy Clark, MS, RD, author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook (2nd ed.), by eating breakfast, a healthy meal early in the day, you may be more successful at weight loss or maintenance, whereas if you skip breakfast, you are more likely to be hungrier later in the day and may overindulge in the evenings.

Accelerate your metabolism each morning by consuming a healthy breakfast within the first hour of waking. Prior to your exercise routine, eat at least a small snack to help you maintain energy throughout your workout.

Try a variety of foods in the morning that include calcium, fiber, protein, and carbohydrates. Examples of meals include whole-grain cereal with skim milk and berries, whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit, oatmeal with skim milk and fruit, a bagel, and vanilla yogurt. Skim milk and yogurt are excellent choices, as they include calcium and protein. A heavier breakfast might consist of an egg white omelet with vegetables, with dry toast and a piece of fruit.

Please send your comments and feedback to Valerie Lawson at vlawson@uic.edu.