Survey Results: Top of the Morning

The latest Small Bites survey reveals that 90% of respondents eat breakfast every day, 8% do so occassionally, and 1% never do.

Although it is pretty much an established fact that breakfast-skipping children's cognitive thinking is inferior to that of their classmates who eat prior to the beginning of the school day, dietitians don't all agree on the importance of this meal for the 18 and over crowd.

I plant myself in the "eating breakfast every day is a good thing" camp.

No, scratch that -- eating a healthy breakfast every day is a good thing.

One advantage to eating breakfast is that it is the easiest meal to make high in fiber.

Consider the options: high-fiber/whole-grain/low-sugar cereals, oatmeal, whole or sprouted grain toast, fruit-walnut-ground flaxseed parfaits, whole grain waffles, and more!

Breakfast is also a great opportunity to get a good deal of calcium, whether it's milk (dairy or soy) in your latte or cereal, or simply enjoying a bowl of yogurt (again, dairy or soy both do the trick).

Many people think skipping breakfast is a smart calorie-cutting strategy. Wrong. Insert Family Feud "your answer is not on the board" buzzer sound HERE.

Here's the problem. Say you wake up at 7 AM and decide to cut calories by going straight to work with nothing but a Diet Snapple in your belly.

By the time lunchtime rolls around, you will very likely be ravenous.

Not surprisingly, we do not make the smartest nutrition choices when we have to eat. RIGHT. NOW.

This being said, breakfast is not the magic bullet.

I agree with Marion Nestle who, in her book What To Eat, writes, "what you eat -- and how much -- matters more to your health than when you eat."

Chomping down on two Pop-Tarts every day, or sipping a Venti caramel Frappuccino, does not constitute a nutritious breakfast. It simply adds extra empty calories... who wants those?

Similarly, starting your day with a caloric overload -- think a 740 calorie Wendy's breakfast burrito -- is certainly not setting you on the right track for the rest of the day.

Do you really want half of your recommended maxium sodium intake before noon?

But what about the studies showing that breakfast eaters have lower BMIs?

They make some interesting connections, although I can't help but wonder if this is a case of those who eat breakfast every day simply being more health conscious and, therefore, keeping a more careful eye on their food consumption in general (thereby managing their weight better).