Eating healthier topped almost everyone's list of goals for 2009 [1] and nutritionist Alexa Fishback [2], author of The Daily Fix [3], has 12 habits to help your goal stick. Today, she takes on your breakfast needs. Stay tuned for more tips, and be sure to enter our Get Fit For 2009 [4] giveaway for a chance to win a personalized nutrition plan created by Alexa, along with many other amazing goodies.

Now, for Alexa's breakfast advice:
While there is no one "best" breakfast, starting your day with a little bit of fiber (to get your bowels moving) and a little bit of protein (for sustained energy and appetite control) improves the overall quality of your diet. So, is cereal a healthy breakfast option? The way that I think about America's most popular breakfast food is that it provides us with energy to start the day (calories [5]), some of our daily fiber requirement (try for at least 4 grams of fiber per serving), a multivitamin shot due to mandatory fortification of conventional (not organic) cereal grains, calcium, vitamin D, and protein from milk (preferably in the nonfat and lowfat varieties), and yes, a whole lot of sweet stuff.

To see what Alexa recommends eating, .

I'm not too worried about the added sweet stuff in general, as long as you stay away from children's cereals. Some no-brainer options include: Quaker Oatmeal, Cheerios, Fiber One, Total, Grape-Nuts, All-Bran, and the Kashi [6] line of high-fiber cereals. Sprinkle your bowl with any fresh fruit or a tablespoon of dried fruit or nuts. Slurp up your milk to get your max nutrients — and you are good to go until your midmorning snack.

For more tips, check out all of Alexa’s Healthy Habits [7] or pick up her book, The Daily Fix [8].

Source [9]