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American Morning
What's the Best Thing to Eat for Breakfast to Keep You Going?
Aired January 21, 2004 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yesterday we gave you some ideas on breakfast foods before that big presentation. But what if you just have a busy day at work ahead? What's the best thing to eat for breakfast to keep you going?
Well, "Men's Fitness" magazine's Peter Sikowitz is back with tips on stoking the fire in your belly and your brain.
Good morning, Peter.
PETER SIKOWITZ, "MEN'S FITNESS" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So I guess the secret here is you want to eat foods that give you energy over a long period of time.
SIKOWITZ: That's exactly right. And "Men's Fitness" has designed a couple of breakfasts to get you out the door. You have to eat something. It's much better than eating nothing. So we know that sometimes you're in a hurry to get away. So we have two breakfasts, one, and there's quick and quicker.
COSTELLO: OK, the first breakfast should take you, what, five minutes to prepare in the morning? And this will keep you going. So shoot, tell us what it is.
SIKOWITZ: OK. Well, if you've got five minutes, you can combine a cereal such as Captain Crunch and Bran Flakes with one percent milk and just add berries. And if you have very little time or if you're riding in your car...
COSTELLO: Well, wait. Let's just concentrate on this first breakfast for just a second.
SIKOWITZ: Yes?
COSTELLO: Captain Crunch does not strike me as a healthy breakfast food cereal.
SIKOWITZ: Well, it's high in complex carbohydrates, especially when you're combining it with Bran Flakes, so you're getting that. It's going to give you sustained energy over a long period of time. And then the blueberries are great, or the strawberries, because they help produce serotonin, which is a natural brain relaxant.
COSTELLO: Ooh, I like that.
SIKOWITZ: Yes. COSTELLO: And one percent milk -- or skimmed milk would be even better, right?
SIKOWITZ: That's true. Stay away from the whole milk.
COSTELLO: Yes, and I guess by mixing cereals like Captain Crunch and -- Bran Flakes don't really taste all that great, but it might make it easier to eat if you combined cereals like that. Like Captain Crunch is really good.
SIKOWITZ: Right. That's the idea. And you can use other cereals, as well.
COSTELLO: OK, let's go to the quick breakfast right now.
SIKOWITZ: OK. So if you have virtually no time and you're just driving in your car, you can use something like a Stoneyfield Farm yogurt smoothie. They come pre-packaged. Grab a whole wheat bagel and just grab a cup of strawberries and just take them with you and then you're just out the door and you're in a whole lot better shape to face your day than if you had nothing.
COSTELLO: You know, the thing about bagels, and this confuses me a bit, because bagels are said to have a lot of calories. So is that ever good to eat?
SIKOWITZ: Well, it is, and I think it sometimes makes sense if you're buying pre-packaged bagels, just look at the ingredients, see how many calories are in there and if you feel that you're getting too many with that particular bagel, try a reduced calorie bagel or just eat half.
COSTELLO: Well, and I see you have a whole wheat bagel, and that's an important distinction between just your plain ordinary white bread bagel, which is really bad to eat.
SIKOWITZ: Yes, well, it depends. Again, it also depends on what you put on it. Sometimes people will use, will eat something that's very low in calories but then they'll slather on butter or cream cheese, and you have to stay away from that if you're watching your weight.
COSTELLO: OK, well, answer me this question, how long would those breakfasts sustain you? When should you eat lunch?
SIKOWITZ: Usually your normal time. They should get you all the way through, especially if you're having a busy day. You won't even be thinking about it.
COSTELLO: You're probably right about that.
Peter, thank you.
SIKOWITZ: Thank you.
There's more on mensfitness.com. Thanks so much, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right.
And Peter will join us once more with advice on what to eat. Tomorrow, the best grub to grab after a night of drinking.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired January 21, 2004 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yesterday we gave you some ideas on breakfast foods before that big presentation. But what if you just have a busy day at work ahead? What's the best thing to eat for breakfast to keep you going?
Well, "Men's Fitness" magazine's Peter Sikowitz is back with tips on stoking the fire in your belly and your brain.
Good morning, Peter.
PETER SIKOWITZ, "MEN'S FITNESS" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So I guess the secret here is you want to eat foods that give you energy over a long period of time.
SIKOWITZ: That's exactly right. And "Men's Fitness" has designed a couple of breakfasts to get you out the door. You have to eat something. It's much better than eating nothing. So we know that sometimes you're in a hurry to get away. So we have two breakfasts, one, and there's quick and quicker.
COSTELLO: OK, the first breakfast should take you, what, five minutes to prepare in the morning? And this will keep you going. So shoot, tell us what it is.
SIKOWITZ: OK. Well, if you've got five minutes, you can combine a cereal such as Captain Crunch and Bran Flakes with one percent milk and just add berries. And if you have very little time or if you're riding in your car...
COSTELLO: Well, wait. Let's just concentrate on this first breakfast for just a second.
SIKOWITZ: Yes?
COSTELLO: Captain Crunch does not strike me as a healthy breakfast food cereal.
SIKOWITZ: Well, it's high in complex carbohydrates, especially when you're combining it with Bran Flakes, so you're getting that. It's going to give you sustained energy over a long period of time. And then the blueberries are great, or the strawberries, because they help produce serotonin, which is a natural brain relaxant.
COSTELLO: Ooh, I like that.
SIKOWITZ: Yes. COSTELLO: And one percent milk -- or skimmed milk would be even better, right?
SIKOWITZ: That's true. Stay away from the whole milk.
COSTELLO: Yes, and I guess by mixing cereals like Captain Crunch and -- Bran Flakes don't really taste all that great, but it might make it easier to eat if you combined cereals like that. Like Captain Crunch is really good.
SIKOWITZ: Right. That's the idea. And you can use other cereals, as well.
COSTELLO: OK, let's go to the quick breakfast right now.
SIKOWITZ: OK. So if you have virtually no time and you're just driving in your car, you can use something like a Stoneyfield Farm yogurt smoothie. They come pre-packaged. Grab a whole wheat bagel and just grab a cup of strawberries and just take them with you and then you're just out the door and you're in a whole lot better shape to face your day than if you had nothing.
COSTELLO: You know, the thing about bagels, and this confuses me a bit, because bagels are said to have a lot of calories. So is that ever good to eat?
SIKOWITZ: Well, it is, and I think it sometimes makes sense if you're buying pre-packaged bagels, just look at the ingredients, see how many calories are in there and if you feel that you're getting too many with that particular bagel, try a reduced calorie bagel or just eat half.
COSTELLO: Well, and I see you have a whole wheat bagel, and that's an important distinction between just your plain ordinary white bread bagel, which is really bad to eat.
SIKOWITZ: Yes, well, it depends. Again, it also depends on what you put on it. Sometimes people will use, will eat something that's very low in calories but then they'll slather on butter or cream cheese, and you have to stay away from that if you're watching your weight.
COSTELLO: OK, well, answer me this question, how long would those breakfasts sustain you? When should you eat lunch?
SIKOWITZ: Usually your normal time. They should get you all the way through, especially if you're having a busy day. You won't even be thinking about it.
COSTELLO: You're probably right about that.
Peter, thank you.
SIKOWITZ: Thank you.
There's more on mensfitness.com. Thanks so much, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right.
And Peter will join us once more with advice on what to eat. Tomorrow, the best grub to grab after a night of drinking.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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