The Side Effects of Food

I wasn't much of a breakfast eater growing up, but my mom wouldn't let us leave the house without eating something. Reluctantly I'd spend an extra ten minutes of sleep time in the kitchen cutting up and eating cantaloupe or a bowl of Cheerios before I ran out the door. In college and my early 20's, I would run to the deli before class or work to grab a croissant or muffin. And most recently I've discovered the joys of greek yogurt with granola.

Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Unfortunately, no matter what I decide to eat in the morning, each food seems to have side effects. With fruit I'm hungry an hour later, the muffins and other carbs literally turn into muffin tops around my waist and the dairy is bad for my complexion. I've tried eggs, which are high in protein and cholesterol, turkey sausage, which is also high in protein, but can give you heart burn and whole wheat toast which is high in fiber, but can leave you wanting that muffin!

I suppose for me, I'm never going to find the exact right answer. Instead, I've decided to weigh the pros and cons of my breakfast and mix it up so that I'm getting the good nutrition of each food, but balancing it out so that bad does not outweigh it. I've found the Nutrition Data website a great resource for helping me understand what I'm putting in my body and I remind myself, that no matter what, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. - L.S.