I arrived at work this morning to find out I was covered top to toe in Melon puree. Baby Chloe is experimenting with fruit at breakfast and she is so enthusiastic that getting it off the spoon and into her mouth as she bounces up and down is a mission impossible.

Half the time she swipes the spoon from my hand and feeds herself but this usually ends up in puree being launched around the kitchen. Jasper the dog generally does a fabulous clean up job but I forgot to give myself the once-over before I hurtled out of the door. Fortunately, I noticed and removed all traces of melon from my hair and shoes before some rather important meetings.

Airborne puree aside, the whole weaning process is going well. There's no doubt that Chloe is in a great mood after a good breakfast, which means I can hand over a beaming babe to our heaven-sent babysitter, Ana. I wish the same could be said for the rest of us, but the fact is that over half the adults in Bermuda still don't eat breakfast regularly! A good breakfast is important for a number of reasons, but especially for those who are trying to manage their weight. Too many people make the mistake of cutting out calories early in the day in an attempt to reduce their overall calorie intake. However, the reality is that those who avoid or have a poor breakfast tend to consume far more calories later on than those who eat well in the morning.

Breakfast is critical for kick starting your metabolism and helping you burn off food more efficiently for the rest of the day. It's also important for maintaining a balanced blood sugar level — crucial for weight management as regular peaks and dips in blood sugar can trigger fat storage. Imbalanced blood sugar will also make you feel fatigued, unproductive and routinely leads to headaches, anxiety and irritability.

Of course, whilst breakfast can help you to lose weight and feel great, it matters what you choose. Pop-tarts or fried-egg sandwiches are simply not going to cut it. The trick is to pick something that contains complex carbs (wholegrain bread or cereal) and protein (e.g. eggs, unroasted nuts or soy) that is also low in saturated fat and sugar.

Combining complex carbs and protein gives you a meal that will reduce its energy (sugar) content s-l-o-w-l-y. A slow sugar release results in sustained energy levels and, as you will feel full for longer, a lower likelihood of reaching for sugary or high-fat snacks. Healthy breakfast examples include:

• Poached, boiled, scrambled eggs or an omelette (no cheese) with wholegrain toast

• Plain oatmeal with grated apple, eight raw almonds and cinnamon

• Plain yoghurt with fresh/defrosted mixed berries and eight raw almonds/brazils or walnuts.

However, in the early-morning flurry of activity, it's not always easy to find the time to prepare eggs, oatmeal or a yoghurt/fruit/nut combo. Many of us need something that we can eat quickly and easily at our desks and breakfast cereal manufacturers know this.

As a result, there are several cereals out there targeting the weight-loss market — but how many of them are actually any good for us?

The chart below should give you some help when it comes to deciphering those all-important nutrition labels. If you want a weight-loss orientated cereal, make sure you pick one that is wholegrain, high in protein, high in fibre and low in both saturated fat and sugar.

As you can see, the nutritional value of the cereals below vary enormously. Whilst Nestle have done well to add protein to the Fitness & Fruits cereal, the sugar content is far from ideal, amounting to nearly four teaspoons of sugar per (small) serving. To be fair this is largely due to the addition of dried fruit, but there is added sugar and high fructose corn syrup too. (Further, the dried fruit has been preserved with sulphur dioxide which some asthmatics have an allergy to.)

In contrast, both the Kashi and Nature's Path products are much lower in sugar, higher in protein and have significantly more fibre. So, if you want to lose weight and feel great while you are at it, try one of these two for a quick, easy and nutritious breakfast.

If you need to add something sweet, add fresh berries or apple rather than dried fruit.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. Contact her at:

clinicalnutrition@gmail.com.