First things first: Have breakfast
Debra Korcek-Ramirez keeps a Ziploc bag full of oatmeal in her desk drawer at work. For this working mother of two teenagers, weekday mornings are hurried affairs. If she doesn't get a chance to eat before she heads out, she microwaves oatmeal at work. As nutrition education coordinator for Boston public schools, Korcek-Ramirez makes it a point not to miss breakfast.
Even for the time-management wizards among us, finding a few minutes for a meal in the morning is a challenge. We're focused on getting up and out on time -- and every minute counts. Kids need to catch the bus, commuters the train, and some want a few more minutes of sleep. The time crunch often means that if we don't miss breakfast altogether -- and it's estimated that 1 in 4 Americans skips the morning meal -- we end up depending on items from drive-throughs and kiosks. Everyone has passed by, or stood in, the Dunkin' Donuts line at rush hour.
But while the coffee-and-doughnut breakfast has its place, and nutritionists admit it's better than nothing, a full breakfast sets the tone for the day. When you wake up in the morning, says Korcek-Ramirez, ''you've fasted all night and your body has no new fuel." To regulate blood sugar and other functions, your body requires a steady supply of nutrients from food. Skipping breakfast or waiting a long time before eating makes your blood sugar drop, often resulting in headaches, fatigue, and irritability. And since your body processes simple sugars and some carbohydrates quickly, you're likely to feel hungry soon after eating muffins, doughnuts, and other pastries.
Breakfast, say nutritionists, is the ideal meal to work the nutrients into your diet that Americans chronically fall short on -- that is, calcium and fiber. Eating a full meal (between 400 and 500 calories) can also help curb your appetite throughout the day. People who eat a breakfast that includes whole grains, lean protein, and fruit tend to eat fewer calories toward the day's end, when they're less likely to get burned off. And a bowl of cereal with berries or a cup of yogurt with granola and sliced banana doesn't take long to prepare, if you keep everything on hand.
All of this requires planning, says Boston University nutritionist Joan Salge-Blake. ''Your whole workday is planned," she says. ''We need to put breakfast on the to-do list, too." Salge-Blake recommends stocking the pantry with plenty of cold cereal, oatmeal, and whole grain bread and making sure that milk, yogurt, and fruit are always in the house. ''You don't want to start the day with a big decision-making process. Just pick your breakfast and get out the door."
That said, the people who succeed make breakfast part of their daily strategy. Sara Sussman, 24, of Jamaica Plain, makes a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread at night. When the art teacher wakes up, she says, ''I make coffee, put it in the thermos, grab my breakfast, and I'm out the door in 25 minutes." She eats at her desk before students arrive. The sandwich, she says, keeps her going until lunch.
If you prefer to stay in bed rather than fuss in the kitchen, or to visit a coffee shop before work, many shops offer healthy breakfast options. Cambridge's Hi-Rise Bread Company sells oatmeal to go, served in cups with toasted pecans, dried cherries, steamed milk, and maple syrup. They make it in small batches throughout the morning, says owner Rene Becker, and it sells surprisingly well.
In the South End, Appleton Bakery Cafe co-owner Lisa Sikora has expanded her breakfast offerings to include egg-based breakfast sandwiches and wraps. The low-carb craze of the past few years, she says, changed many people's breakfast habits. Appleton's muffins are still popular, as is homemade granola, which she sells by the pound ($6.50) or with yogurt and fruit. But Sikora now has customers who order a couple of scrambled egg whites to go. ''We try to do whatever people want," she says.
Anything a takeout shop makes is easy enough to make at home, too. Scramble an egg (2 minutes), add a slice of cheese, tuck it into toasted pita, and you've got your own easy on-the-go meal. Or whir yogurt and fruit into a smoothie, which you can carry in a thermos cup. You could try, as Salge-Blake suggests, to ''set up the office like a mini-kitchen." Bring in bananas, yogurt, and a bag of granola at the beginning of the week and eat breakfast while you get settled for the day. Don't forget the oatmeal stash, or a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter.
You'll be the envy of your co-workers. 