I'm not sure what makes these cookies something you have for breakfast. They do have dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, cherries, raisins) and nuts in them, which is great, but there are probably healthier options for you. But hey, any breakfast that includes fruit and nuts and oats is a good start to a busy day (wow, I sound like a commercial).

These Breakfast Cookies look rather tasty, even if you have them later in the day.

Chocolate cereals that are designed to appeal to adults - to women, specifically - rather than to children are one of the hottest new trends in the breakfast industry. Chocolate Oat Crunch Life is the first one out of the starting gate and is already available in stores. The cereal is regular, whole grain Life cereal that has had chocolate granola pieces added to it. It is touted as being low fat, high in fiber and as a generally healthy (2.5 grams fat, 190 calories per 1-cup serving), yet indulgent, breakfast option.

After trying a box, I think I would pass on this as breakfast food.

Oats are a great source of soluble fiber, and as the specific fiber contained in whole oats, beta-glucan soluble fiber, has been shown to help control cholesterol, some oat products are allowed to claim that they reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. These products include oat bran, rolled oats or whole oat flour, and they also must meet the FDA's standard for "low fat" foods. The Quaker Oat company has requested - and temporarily received (pdf) - an exemption to the "low fat" standard for some of their other oat products, like instant oatmeal. The exemption allows qualifying products to make the claim that they coronary heart disease right on the packaging by allowing them to increase their oat content to acceptable levels, even if by doing so they surpass the federal maximum for low fat products. Not all oat products will be eligible, but Quaker's reduced sugar instant oatmeal products would qualify under the new plan.

Gone are the days when granola was stigmatized as a crunchy, hippy food. Now, granola is considered to be a tasty addition to breakfast, due to the fact that it is a combination of some foods touted for their health benefits: oats, nuts and fruit. This homemade version from Cheryl at Free Range Living uses all those ingredients, with the addition of shredded coconut for some extra flavor. She sweetened hers with honey and maple syrup, and it looks better than most store-bought versions.

Healthy ingredients or not, granola is also high in fat and calories, so it should be eaten in small portions. Cheryl suggests using it as a topping for yogurt parfaits, mixtures of fruit and plain yogurt, for a nice, healthy breakfast.

According to Australian researchers, a high carbohydrate, low-GI diet is the best for weight loss and for cardiovascular health. At least, they produced better results than the high-protein diets that they were compared to in an intensive 12-week study - the first study in the world to directly compare the two types of diets and their impact on health and weight/weight loss.

Over 120 women classified as overweight or obese participated in the study and were assigned to one of four (reduced calorie) diets: high protein/ low GI, high protein/high GI, high carbohydrate/log GI, high carbohydrate/high GI. The high carb dieters showed the most weight loss, but lowering the GI of that high carb diet doubled fat loss. Low GI coupled with high protein was the better of the two protein diet choices. Low GI also led to lower risk factors for heart disease, including having a lowering effect on the levels of LDL cholesterol.

The Glycemic Index ranks foods based on how they affect blood sugar levels. Low GI foods cause a slight increase, while high GI foods will cause a sharp spike. Low GI foods include oats, bran, apples, pears, peas, milk and yogurt.

The recommended daily guidelines for Americans suggest that at least half of all the grains consumed during the day be whole grains, which comes out to be 3 -5 servings daily. Aside from whole grain breads, like those made from whole wheat flour instead of wheat flour, there are quite a few other foods that will let you get those servings in. The ten most popular sources of whole grains are whole wheat (flour), whole oats/oatmeal, whole-grain corn, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat and triticale, and as they are the most popular, they are also the most readily available.

Oatmeal, corn, popcorn and both brown and wild rice are easy enough to add into your weekly diet, and barley can stand in for rice or potatoes at many meals. Rye and buckwheat can be found in many breads, most of which will make superb sandwiches during the week. To add them in at home, you can try buckwheat pancakes or a blueberry buckwheat bundt cake. Triticale is a hybrid of rye and wheat, found mostly at health food stores, and can also be incorporated into many recipes.

A great source for some whole-grain recipes online is Bob's Red Mill website, which covers recipes for all of the top 10 grains.

You may eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast, but you can also use it on your skin. Doctors and scientists have long known the power of oatmeal to treat minor skin inflammations and relieve very dry skin, and we often see colloidal oatmeal as an ingredient with facial products.

• For a bath soak, finely grind 1c. dry oats in a blender or food processor. Sprinkle in tub of warm water. Soak yourself for 15-20 minutes. I had to do this for a few days when I broke out in hives from a food allergy.
• I have seen oatmeal facials done two ways. The first method uses ½ c. dry oats that has been finely ground mixed with ¼ c. plain full fat yogurt and 2 Tbsp. honey. (We've already seen the beauty benefits of honey.) Apply to face, rest for 15 minutes, then rinse off.
• The 2nd oatmeal facial uses 1/3 c. instant oatmeal cooked with ½ c. water. Add 2 Tbsp honey, apply to face, rest for 15-20 minutes, then rinse off.
• The oatmeal by itself in a facial mask works as an exfoliator, but it can also physically slough off dead skin cells because of its texture when it is ground into a powder.

Previous spa foods not to eat, but to treat:
Avocados are moisturizing
Cleopatra's secret: honey
Miracle Whip and Mayo: Miracle moisturizer
Two in one: eggs
Go bananas!

I was skeptical about frozen oatmeal. I often reheat leftovers, which I store in the fridge, when I make a big batch, but I never tried to freeze it. When I saw the single servings of steel cut oatmeal in the Trader Joe’s freezer section the first time, I walked right by. After all, why should I buy it when I can make it at home? A few trips to Trader Joe’s later and I reconsidered. It takes some time to cook steel cut oats, and perhaps a frozen version – provided that it tastes good – would be just the thing for weekday mornings. I picked up a box and brought it home. I’m glad I did because I was right about it being the perfect thing for a weekday breakfast. It cooks up exactly according to directions and hardly takes any more time than a frozen waffle takes to reheat, with the added benefit of being much healthier. The oatmeal tastes great, if a tiny bit sweet. The oats were tender and the portion size is just right. I added some dried fruit to mine halfway through the cooking time. It got me through until lunch, with a latte in between meals. I’ll buy it again, though I might try freezing my own small portions in the meantime.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Irish steel cut oats, like McCann's, make oatmeal that is out of this world, but they are also very versatile. The oats can be used in savory applications, like oat risotto, as well as sweet ones. McCann's has a recipe on their website for a variation on oat cakes that use steel cut oats. Oat cakes are flat biscuits or crackers that are made with oats. They are fairly plain on their own, but the flavor of the oats and the crunch of the biscuit make them pair perfectly with cheese and other spreads. They're a great addition to a cracker tray when serving appetizers or for snack food at any time.

Oatmeal must be one of the best breakfast foods you can have and it is unquestionably my favorite, though pancakes are a fairly close second. Oatmeal is high in fiber and low in fat, has protein, iron and no cholesterol. In fact, it has even been shown to lower cholesterol. Oatmeal may be rather plain on its own, but its nutty flavor perfectly compliments honey, maple syrup and just about any type of fresh fruit you wish to top it with. A handful of chopped pecans or hazelnuts are also a good addition to the cereal.

There are many types of oatmeal that you can buy, though all come from the same oats. Steel cut oats are whole oat groats that have been chopped into smaller pieces. Rolled oats are oat groats that have been steamed, rolled and flaked for easier cooking. Quick cooking oats are rolled oats that have been chopped into smaller pieces and "instant" oats are basically powdered oats. "Instant" oats do not produce a good bowl of oatmeal, instead forming more of a paste. For the oatmeal lover, steel cut are the only way to go. These pieces of oats take longer to cook than the other, precooked varieties, but they are worth it. The oatmeal is creamy and the oats are chewy. The texture is unlike any bowl of breakfast cereal you've ever had. McCann's is the most famous brand, but other brands are beginning to become more widely available. You can buy steel cut oats very inexpensively at natural food stores, as well.

You might be aware that breakfast cookies are gaining popularity these days. Even Quaker is coming out with a line of the breakfast sweets, full of oats and fiber for those who just can't stomach the idea of cereal in the morning. Frankly, I don't see much difference between these and the regular oatmeal cookies that I like, which I am not about to start eating for breakfast. If breakfast cookies could somehow incorporate bacon, though, I am sure that many people would be brought around to the cookie-for-breakfast mentality. Enter Cookin' in the 'Cuse and her recipe for Bacon Breakfast Cookies. These cookies are a "sweet and savory crunchy cookie studded with bits of smoked bacon, raisins and multi grain cereal." Now if only someone would start to market these!