
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 12, 1994                   TAG: 9401200304
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SAY GOOD MORNING TO A GOOD BREAKFSAT

If breakfast is so good for us, why don't we eat it? Studies show that eating breakfast can improve concentration, short-term recall, problem-solving ability, reaction time and reading comprehension. Yet, about one in three Americans say they feel too rushed and/or tired to eat this most-important meal.

An American Dietetic Association registered dietician described a "good breakfast" as low in fat, high in complex carbohydrates and ideally including a dairy product and fresh fruit. Consumers can get nutritional information from the free hotline at (800) 366-1655. But even if your choices don't meet this healthy criteria, the experts agree you should eat something in the morning.

Baked goods are breakfast favorites because they're so readily portable and can so easily be made ahead of time. The muffins from the California Raisin Advisory Board and bread from the California Fig Advisory Board are perfect examples of high-fiber delights. Fresh and dried fruits also are popular for eating out of hand or for whipping into breakfast drinks in a blender.

Fruit purees can dramatically reduce the fat in baked goods. For example, the scones from the California Prune Board contain only 2 grams of fat per serving, compared to a traditional 25 grams. For additional free prune breakfast recipes, send a business-size, stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Greet The Day, P. O. Box 10157, Pleasanton, Calif. 94588.

And it's hard to get less fat than in a basic broiled grapefruit, such as this one from among the 500 recipes in Nikki and David Goldbeck's "Good Breakfast Book" (Ceres Press).

Eggs contain about 5 grams of fat per serving, but pristinely poached, they're a dieter's delight. Enjoy them with toast points or top them with a tangy Piperade sauce. Use the same sauce to top off omelets or scrambled or fried eggs. Or for a Creole twist, add chopped celery and a touch of liquid hot pepper sauce. And for those times you just want to forget the fat, make the handy, make-ahead cheese strata, substituting other breads, meats and cheeses, if you prefer. All egg recipes are from the American Egg Board. For its free recipe leaflet, Most-Loved Morning Meals, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to The Incredible Edible Egg #63, P. O. Box 858, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068-0858.

\ (See microfilm for recipes.) MORNING GLORY RAISIN MUFFINS

EARLY-BIRD BREAKFAST SCONES

FABULOUS FIG BREAD

BROILED GRAPEFRUIT

POACHED EGGS

PIPERADE/SPANISH SAUCE FOR EGGS

CHEESE AND SAUSAGE STRATA

by CNB