I beg to differ, and would counter that there’s plenty of science out there to suggest that a good breakfast is a powerful partner in your nutrition plan.

Let me suggest three P's to help you make sure breakfast works for you:

P1 – Protein. It’s important that you have protein at all three meals. For most people, breakfast tends to be the lightest on proteins. Many popular breakfast foods, such as pancakes or cold cereal, are high in carbohydrates, but low in protein. Eggs and Greek yogurt are two great sources of morning protein. And when making eggs, consider adding egg whites, which are high in protein but low in calories and fat. Proteins take longer to digest, so you don’t have that morning crash and turn to the candy bowl or a donut to keep going.

P2—Portions. When it comes to breakfast, you should target somewhere around 300-500 calories. Too often I see people who eat a very small breakfast and then a fairly small lunch and then eat a huge dinner. It’s better to balance your calories during the day. Large meals may leave you feeling so full that you’re not hungry the next morning and then the cycle continues.

P3—Planning. The biggest issue I hear from people who skip breakfast or eat poor breakfasts is that they don’t have time. The snooze button competes with the time it takes to make a good breakfast. My best strategy is plan ahead. One thing I do is to cook up a bunch of scrambled eggs on Sunday (when my mornings aren’t quite as busy), then refrigerate them to use during the week in different dishes such as a breakfast burrito. It’s quick and easy to make and something I can even eat on the way to work.

For more information on making the most of breakfast, I recommend this website: eatright.org.