Think fast: What is your morning routine like? Do you frequently miss out on a healthy breakfast because you’re running late for work or busy getting the kids off to school? Too often the pace of everyday life leaves us with little time to cook and prepare healthy meals — especially breakfast. It may seem easier to grab a bagel or doughnut on the way to the office or skip breakfast altogether, but these habits won’t help you reach your weight-loss goals. Fortunately, there are a number of delicious South Beach Diet–friendly breakfast options that are already packaged to take with you on busy days or that are easy to prepare and pack ahead of time. Try some of these healthy Phase-specific choices:

Phase 1

• Precooked deviled or hard-boiled eggs (hard-boiled eggs will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week)
• Celery sticks with natural peanut butter (make the night before and wrap)
• Single-serving nonfat or 1% cottage-cheese cups
• Individual reduced-fat cheese slices or cheese sticks
• Sliced turkey or other reduced-fat meats
• Tomato juice or vegetable-juice blend in single-serving cans
• Reduced-fat or nonfat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt

Phases 2 and 3
All of the above, plus:

• Reduced-fat or nonfat artificially sweetened, flavored yogurt (limit to 6 ounces daily and make sure to avoid yogurts with added sugars)
• 100% whole-grain sliced bread or whole-grain English muffin topped with reduced-fat cheese or part-skim ricotta cheese
• Fresh berries or other seasonal fruit

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