TO BEGIN THE DAY FEELING LIGHT AND ENERGIZED, start your breakfast with a tall glass of slightly above room-temperature spring water. You may add to it 1/3 of a teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar (an intestinal cleanser), or a tablespoon of organic juice. (Cranberry juice keeps the urinary tract healthy; grape juice contains iron; apple juice restores balance when body is too acidic; etc.)Next, treat yourself to a nice piece of fruit. Melons and berries are low in sugar and make good breakfast appetizers. When desired, grapefruit, orange, apple, or organic juice (diluted with 2/3 spring water to avoid sugar wallop) are also fine eye-openers.

Health-promoting breakfast dishes consist of foods that contain fiber, bulk, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. These include organic whole grain breads, waffles, pancakes and cereals (hot and cold); cheeses (from cow, goat, soy or rice milk); butter (don’t use margarine); whole eggs or egg-whites; avocado; almond butter, which combine well with sugarless fruit spreads; sardines, herring, and additives-free smoked salmon; caviar (even a 1/4 teaspoon of the inexpensive black or orange fish-eggs go a long way to spike up a breakfast); vegetables (cut into salad or served individually) and tea or coffee. (Some health gurus advise against coffee, while others trust research data on the benefits of drinking one or two cups a day. Your body will tell you what it prefers.)

A Few Grain-based Ideas

# NOT JUST CEREAL: Hot or cold, but only organic and high fiber. Organic fruit juice goes wonderfully with cold cereal—as do soy- or rice milk. Organic, low-fat cow’s milk is also fine. Cooked (hot) cereal (oatmeal is best) is delicious with ½ teaspoon of sugar-free, juice-sweetened fruit spread, a small squirt of real chocolate syrup—or if your taste-buds lean toward the savory, with a soup-spoon of (organic) low-fat yogurt, a teaspoon of Chavrie (with chives) goat cream cheese, or a sprinkling of grated Parmesan (made from organic milk or soy).

NOT JUST PANCAKE: Buckwheat pancakes with almond butter and sugar-free, juice-sweetened fruit spread (or just one or the other).

WAFFLING AROUND: Toasted waffles (choose from a selection of organic frozen wheat, spelt, flax-seed, soy and gluten-free waffles—some of which come with berries), with fresh (or frozen) berries and sliced bananas, or sugar-free, juice-sweetened fruit spread.

IT’S THE TOPPING THAT COUNTS: One slice of bread (toasted or not), with whatever topping strikes your fancy. Options include cheeses such as goat Feta or Chavrie cream cheese, organic Monterey Jack hard cheese, and dairy-free soy cheese (cream-style or slice). Other toppings include butter; almond butter with or without sugar-free, juice-sweetened fruit spread; egg (hard-boiled, chopped as salad, scrambled, etc.), salmon salad, sardines or avocado (sliced or mashed) with a squeeze of lemon and if preferred, pepper, or a slice or two of anchovies. In short, use your imagination and listen to your hankerings.

MEDITERANIAN BREAKFAST: of humus, hard-boiled eggs (or egg salad), cheeses, olives, grape-leaves stuffed with rice, tabuli, tahini, fresh chopped vegetable salad, herring, sardines, etc.

Following is a tasty recipe that will keep you going when your plans call for a late lunch (and it is also a fine brunch dish):

# VEGGIE OMELET: Sauté at medium heat in olive oil, 3 slices of a whole mid-size onion for about 40 seconds. Add the following ingredients, one by one, mix after each addition, and wait about 4-5 seconds before adding the next ingredient: 1 clove of garlic; 1 medium size tomato (or ½ of a larger one); ¼ green pepper, and a few slices of whatever other (available) vegetables you have a yen for (such as carrots, zucchini, bok-choy, kale, etc.) Beat up one egg (or 1/2 cup of egg-whites), add salt (or a small splash of Tamari sauce or BRAGG liquid amino-acid), pepper and paprika to taste, and pour over vegetables. Cover and cook over low heat until eggs on top are solid.

EYE-OPENERS: End your breakfast with either caffeinated or decaf-coffee or tea. Both green tea, with its low caffeine content, and black tea with its stronger kick, combine the qualities of an eye-opener with antioxidants and other health-promoting qualities.