The most important meal of the day has a most important food, too.

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By now, it goes without saying that breakfast is indisputably the most important meal of the day. Research shows that fueling your body before you head out the door can make you more productive, curb your cravings, and even help you lose weight.

But beware: your breakfast choices could be making you fat. Reaching for a chocolate chip muffin or sugar-loaded cereal can wreak havoc on your waistline. Make sure you’re not making any of these unhealthy breakfast mistakes, either.

In reality, you need a “filling and delicious” carb to really keep you going. Not all carbs are created equal, though. While simple carbs, like bagels, quickly raise and crash your blood sugar levels—which leads to cravings later on—fiber-rich carbs will keep you feeling satisfied (and burning calories!) all day long.

Dr. Jennifer Stagg, a naturopathic physician and author of Unzip Your Genes: 5 Choices to Reveal a Radically Radiant You, recommends steel-cut oatmeal as anyone’s go-to breakfast staple. One bowl is filled with healthy protein and fiber, and its chewy texture forces you to eat slowly, which makes you feel full faster. As your body converts those good carbs into energy, your metabolism runs at full capacity, burning calories along the way. Hello, trim waistline!

And that’s not all. “People who eat good carbs like oatmeal have more energy, reduced sugar cravings, lose more weight and even have more regular bowel movements,” Dr. Stagg told SheFinds.com.

Pair a bowl of unflavored steel-cut oatmeal with fresh fruit, nuts, or quinoa for an extra punch of nutrient-rich goodness. You can also try any of these healthy breakfast ideas for weight loss, too.

[Source: SheFinds.com]