Things You Can Eat for Breakfast If You Are on a Diet

Breakfast remains the most important meal of the day -- even if you're on a diet. People who eat breakfast everyday tend to control their weight better than non-breakfast eaters, reports H.R. Wyatt of the University of Colorado. But that doesn't mean you can start your day off with bacon and white toast and expect the weight to come off. Choosing healthy foods for breakfast while on a diet can help you shed those extra pounds and keep them off.

Healthy breakfast items on the kitchen table. (Image: dulezidar/iStock/Getty Images)

Whole Grains

Whole grains like granola, oatmeal and whole wheat toast are ideal breakfast foods for someone on a diet. The fiber in whole grains keeps you feeling full so that you don't "cheat" on your diet and indulge on a calorie-rich snack later in the day. Including oatmeal in your low-calorie diet boosts weight loss and reduces high cholesterol levels, reports a study published in the May 2001 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition." Dieters who ate oats every day lost an average of 9 pounds over an 8-week period and decreased their total and "bad" cholesterol levels significantly.

Fruit

Try starting the day with fresh fruit like bananas, apples, melons and berries… Fresh fruits have a low energy density. Energy density measures how many calories a food contains compared to its weight. Eating foods with a low energy density allows you to enjoy a high volume of foods without consuming too many calories.

Yogurt

Low-fat dairy products like yogurt and milk are convenient breakfast choices that can accelerate the amount of weight you lose while dieting, reports a paper published in the September 2010 "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." The study notes that dieters who ate dairy tended to lose and maintain the weight loss better than people who seldom ate dairy.

Eggs

Some dieters shun eggs as a breakfast option as they are rich in fat. This is a mistake, according to a study found in the August 2005 "International Journal of Obesity." Overweight adults who had eggs for breakfast lost 60 percent more weight than those who dined on bagels. Eggs also offer nutritional value in the form of protein, vitamin E and vitamin B-12 -- all nutrients you need for good health.