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WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS YOUR BREAKFAST TABLE

 Do you make a habit of eating breakfast after you leave home in the morning? Well...at least you are thinking that breakfast is important, even if you didn't give yourself enough time to eat it at home. Here are some do's and don'ts to make breakfast on the road healthier.
 1. Choose items at fast food places carefully. While it is tempting to stop at the drive-thru, these meals aren't going to do much for you in terms of health and nutrition. An egg, cheese and bacon biscuit for example, gets 59 percent of its 477 calories from fat. The recommended percentage of fat is less than 30 percent averaged over the day or week. If you can honestly say that you will have low fat choices the rest of the day and can afford the high fat item, go ahead. Otherwise, pick an English muffin with egg only, or a bagel with jelly; and orange juice and a carton of milk.
 2. Pack your own breakfast and bring it along for the ride. This allows you to control the fat and calorie content of your meal and regulate its nutritional value.
 3. Store healthy nonperishables in your car so they are available on mornings you walk out the door empty-handed. Possibilities include breakfast bars, rice cakes, serving-size cereal boxes and packages of dried fruit.
 4. Avoid fat and calorie laden foods that are easy to grab, such as donuts, toaster pastries and even bagels. Most people think of bagels as low-fat; they are actually one of the higher calorie breads out there. Bakery bagels, in particular, often pack as many as 300 calories to 400 calories per bagel because they are so large. And bagel sandwiches, which are growing in popularity, usually include cream cheese or other spreads, raising their calorie count to as high as 500 calories per sandwich. Better to opt for smaller, store-bought bagels and make your sandwiches.
 5. Look for alternatives. If you have left the house without breakfast and have to stop at a mini-mart, try some healthful alternatives. Instead of a donut and coffee, opt for yogurt and a banana, a breakfast bar and juice, or even a fortified shake like Carnation Instant Breakfast or Slim Fast.
 6. Invest in a mini-cooler or cooler lunch bag so you can travel with healthy perishables on board. Toss in some fruit and you are off.
 Try these quick and easy, make-it-yourself breakfast alternatives:
 Go Nutty - Choose a regular-sized - not super sized- bagel and make yourself a sandwich. Add up to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (180-190 calories) combined with either sliced banana or dried fruit. Other variations on this sandwich could include different nut butter choices - almond butter, honey cinnamon almond butter, cashew butter (yes-splurge), soynut butter. Nut butters spread nicely between 2 granola bars too, for a granola bar sandwich.
 Shake Up Your Morning - Try a homemade breakfast shake. Combine milk (skim or 1 percent) with one scoop of frozen yogurt and then add pineapple juice, some banana, fresh strawberries or a combination of the three. Or add 2-3 ounces of silken tofu in place of, or in addition to, the yogurt. Not only is it easy, but it also includes calcium, protein and vitamins. Add a whole banana or ½ cup of berries and the shake counts as a fruit serving for the day!
 Muffin Mania - Skip the prepackaged convenience store muffins and bring along your own, homemade versions. It will take a little planning, but it you set aside some time on Sunday, you can make muffins and have them on hand for your commutes during the week. Here are some guidelines for making your muffins healthy:
 1. Include fruit, such as bananas, apples or berries.
 2. Supplement regular flour with whole-grain flours such as wheat, oat bran, corn meal, or soy flour. If a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, use 1 ½ cups flour and ½ cup of whole-grain flour.
 3. Some packaged muffins are low fat, but you can reduce the fat even further when preparing them by replacing oil with applesauce (1/2 cup oil with ½ cup applesauce) and eggs with egg substitute.
 4. Add veggies. Favorites include zucchini and carrots.
 Easy Breakfast, Bar None - Fill your water bottle with orange juice and your travelling coffee cup with milk and coffee, grab a breakfast bar and you are set! Most breakfast bars on the market are fortified with vitamins and calcium and are definitely a better alternative to donuts. Rules of thumb for breakfast bars include:
 Keep the grams of fat per bar at 2-4 or under and eat just one!
 Look for bars with more than three grams of protein.
 Read the food label and look for a comprehensive profile of vitamins and minerals, comparable to what you would find on a cereal box.
 Cereal Sans Spoon - If cereal is one food you never considered eating in the car, think again. Take your favorite brand, preferable one easy to grab by the handful - and stash it in a sealable bag. Munch the crunchies and wash them down with milk from your travel mug. Not only are most cereals low in fat, but many are also an excellent source of fiber. One cup of shredded wheat will give you 6 grams of fiber; 1 cup wheat chex has 4 grams.

Source: Adapted from OSU Extension, FCS News. August, 2000.

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