A healthy breakfast for a healthier you

Breakfast does not have to be a complicated and elaborate meal. If you are not accustomed to eating soon after waking up, there are several compact and non-messy ways in which you can pack and carry your breakfast with you to consume at a later, more convenient time.

Here's a few facts you probably didn't know about breakfast:

~ Breakfast eaters are able to lose weight faster than others, as eating regularly each morning boosts your body's metabolism.

~ A regular meal every morning ensures that you will not binge at lunch -- your stomach will already be half full.

~ As compared to those who skip a morning meal, breakfast eaters are more alert and work more efficiently -- their brains receive the required nutritional energy at the start of each day.

~ Children who eat a good breakfast each morning are known to perform better at school and are less hyperactive.

~ While fruit juice is considered an essential part of a good breakfast, eating a whole fruit is a better idea -- it will provide you with less calories and more fibre, which may be lost in the juice.

~ Accompany any of the following healthy breakfast plans with a fruit and you will be indulging in a complete meal that is healthy, filling and low in calories:

Breakfast plan: 260 calories
2 medium-sized idlis + 1 small bowl of sambar

Breakfast plan: 220 calories
1 glass of skimmed milk + 2 handfuls of wheat flakes (30 gms approximately) + 1 tsp sugar

Breakfast plan: 195 calories
1 medium-sized bowl of oatmeal porridge (30 gms oats + 100 ml milk +1 tsp sugar)

Breakfast plan: 175 calories
2 eggwhite omelettes cooked in 1 tsp oil + onion and tomato + 2 slices of bread

Breakfast plan: 150 calories
Vegetable sandwich (2 slices bread + coriander chutney + cucumber slices + tomato slices)

Breakfast plan: 145 calories
1 medium-sized bowl of poha (no potato)

Breakfast plan: 110 calories
1 medium sized bowl of Dalia (wheat cracks) porridge (you can either add ½ a cup of milk + 1tsp of sugar or vegetables + Salt)