Little, simple breakfasts

Not everyone is ready for a big breakfast. A simple pattern to follow is:

Light and Easy Zone Breakfast
1 egg or 1 ounce of ham or 1 ounce of Canadian bacon
1/2 grapefruit or cup of vegetable juice

Any of these combinations is Zone balanced, about 90-120 calories, and provides 12-24% of nutrients. The Canadian bacon or ham is a little more nutritious than the egg. The vegetable juice is better than the grapefruit. I like the ham or Canadian bacon for breakfast, since it provides thiamin that is not easy to come by at low calorie levels. Eggs have great protein and the yolk has lots of minerals and B-12 and riboflavin. Don't choose eggs if you are watching cholesterol - choose the ham or Canadian bacon.

The egg can be scrambled, boiled or cooked in a teflon pan sunny-side up with a couple of drops of olive oil. The ham or Canadian bacon can be heated in a pan or the microwave.

So, just buy 4 oz of Canadian bacon and a dozen eggs (free range, please), a bottle of V-8 or organic vegetable juice, and a grapefruit or 2. Now, you have a week or 2 of breakfasts that you can vary every day.

If you want more calories at breakfast, you can just double up on each of the ingredients. In fact, a double combination is a great breakfast choice:

Ham and Egg Breakfast

1 egg, over easy, cooked on non-stick pan, with 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil
1 oz of Canadian bacon
1/2 a grapefruit with sucralose (Splenda)
1 cup of vegetable juice

Total 232 calories, P/C/F of 26/34/40, and 36% of the RDA. High in B vitamins, full RDA of A and C, and lots of minerals.