"Breakfast" literally means "the meal that breaks the fast". It's considered your most important meal because it determines your eating for the rest of the day - and ultimately your total calorie intake. Starting the day with a well-balanced meal that supplies adequate protein, carbohydrate and fiber keeps those nasty hunger pangs at bay and allows you to make wise choices for the meals which follow. In a study published in The American Society of Nutritional Sciences' Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that calories consumed early-on in the day were more satiating than the same amount of calories eaten later in the day; this led to lower calorie consumption overall. Therefore, eating breakfast helps with weight control.

Breakfast is also an ideal time to get that healthy dose of fiber in the form of whole-grain bread or whole-grain breakfast cereals. Unless fiber is included at breakfast, it can be very difficult to reach your daily fiber quota of 25-40 grams (for adults).

Your mental health also benefits from eating breakfast, particularly one that contains whole grains. A good breakfast provides the blood sugar boost necessary for formulating the memory-boosting neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Children, in particular, need a good breakfast to help them function well and think clearly at school. Research has shown that children who eat breakfast have better school attendance and better grades than those who don't.

Regular breakfast eaters confirm the benefits of a sound breakfast, and yet a huge percentage of people still play hooky on this most important meal of the day - usually with the excuse that they're too busy or not hungry. But even the best defenses against eating breakfast can be busted.

I'm not hungry in the morning. If you just can't stomach the thought of breakfast first thing in the morning, organize yourself so that you can eat breakfast later or at work when your body has had more time to wake up. If it seems an impossible task to eat a whole breakfast in one sitting, try spreading it out over a couple of hours. Eating large dinners or late night snacks can also reduce the desire for breakfast, so try to avoid this habit. Another idea is to try getting up an hour before you eat and doing some exercise to increase your morning appetite.

The bottom line is that even if you don't feel hungry, you should still eat something healthy and satiating. Remember that people who don't eat breakfast wind up relying on caffeine and/or mid-morning sugary or fatty snacks to make it to the next meal. Although these foods give a little boost in energy, they are void of essential nutrients - nutrients that should be obtained at breakfast.

I'll be hungrier, eat more, and gain weight if I eat breakfast. Some people find that eating breakfast makes them feel more hungry, rather than more full. If this sounds like you, it's highly likely that you're just eating the wrong sorts of foods. Foods like sugary cereals, white bread, and pastries, can lead to low blood sugar crashes and cravings within hours of eating.

However, eating a balanced breakfast should help to reduce those 10 a.m. recurring hunger pains. Including low-fat protein in the morning (such as yogurt, eggs or cottage cheese) along with a moderate amount of carbohydrate and fiber lengthens satiety, and cuts down on mid-morning slumps and nibbling. A well-rounded breakfast helps you eat sensibly for the rest of the day, leading to better weight control and a healthier body.

I don't have time. This excuse is easily busted: breakfast simply doesn't have to be a gourmet production. A simple breakfast of low-fat cheese, fruit and whole-grain toast is just one example of a simple, fast and easy meal. Hard-boiled eggs and protein smoothies also provide breakfast in minutes. And if you don't even have time for that, trail mix, fruit and yogurt make for an excellent breakfast and can easily be eaten on-the-run.

I don't like breakfast foods. Where is it written in stone that breakfast can only consist of eggs, hash browns and toast? If you don't like typical breakfast foods, be atypical! Try leftovers, soup, a sandwich, fruit or lean meats in the morning. Many cultures serve rice and vegetables as a breakfast meal - and it's a great idea. Keeping foods simple in the morning  is generally easier on the stomach, since the body has been fasting during the night.

Breakfast foods are too high in fat. It's true that many typical breakfasts are laden with fat, but they don't need to be. A high-fat meal such as fried eggs, hash browns, sausage, buttered toast, coffee with cream, and whole milk can easily be converted to a lower-fat version with a few simple changes: poached eggs, oven-baked potatoes, low-fat or meatless sausage, toast with apple butter, and coffee with skim milk - even die-hard full-breakfast eaters will still be satisfied!

Breakfast foods are high in carbohydrates. It's actually a good idea to include complex carbohydrate foods in your breakfast, selecting from those with lower glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL). The carbohydrates in sugary cereals are the ones you want to avoid. Cereals can be low in fiber and full of sugar (up to 65% of calories from added sugar). Children's cereals are often the biggest culprits, but many "adult" cereals are also high in sugar. Avoid high sugar cereals by reading the ingredients - the first three ingredients are those in highest proportion.

Generally speaking, when you do include carbohydrates, choose whole-grain foods and fresh fruit over simple carbohydrates and fruit juice. Complex carbohydrates, along with some protein foods, will provide you with a good source of energy for the whole morning.