News-Record.com

Breakfast is, indeed, one of the most important meals of the day. And not just because your mom said so. You need to have a good breakfast to kickstart your metabolism, get some protein and fiber in your stomach to sustain you through the day and keep you from turning into a fast-food devouring animal by lunch-time.

I used to be pretty notorious for skipping breakfast (or worse, rolling out of bed, rubbing at my dry eyes, having a Red Bull and cutting myself shaving). But since we resolved to eat better, my breakfast has looked something like this each morning:

That's a bowl of oatmeal, an 8 oz. glass of orange juice and a slice of wheat toast with low-sugar grape jelly.

It's about 290 calories, 3 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein.

Sometimes I switch it up with a piece of fruit or Wheaties, but that's about the size of it.

And size matters. Watching the portions of the things I eat has been difficult, as my general tendency is to fill large bowls and glasses to the brim without caring how many servings it is. Take a look at the bowl in which I ate my one serving of oatmeal next to the bowl I would have probably filled with oatmeal (or Cocoa Puffs) two weeks ago:

Even filling that small glass to near the top with orange juice rather than about half-way would have been 12 ounces rather than 8.

These are things we should think about, but don't. Reprogramming my brain is going to be a large part of this thing.

What do you guys eat for breakfast? Snap a picture and send it to me at Joekillian@gmail.com. I'll post them here for everyone to see -- and hopefully get tips from. The first one of you to send me a shot of a Krispy Kreme Donut, though...