According to a recent ABC News poll, Americans are showing a strong tendency of ignoring Mom's advice by consistently skipping breakfast. In fact, almost half of the population between the ages of 18 and 54 skip breakfast on a regular basis.

Skipping breakfast has been shown to guarantee lower performance at the workplace and in the classroom, ensuring tired brains, sluggish bodies and cranky moods. There is a center in the brain that registers when the body is missing nutrients. By mid-morning, many breakfast-cutters may indulge in a pick-me-up like coffee or a candy bar, but this is hardly enough to truly sustain the body until lunch time. Besides, we're the most prone to making unhealthy meal choices and eating larger-than-life portions when we're super-hungry. Let's keep it real. What would a growling stomach choose: a Big Mac with fries or a Caesar salad?

Are You a Breakfast Bum?

If breakfast were a class, how often do you cut? Many of us that don't eat breakfast happen to have very valid reasons as to why (or so we think). Here's our response.

"I'm trying to lose weight"

Skipping meals does not help you to lose weight. As a matter of fact, it appears to make weight control more difficult for reasons stated above. Also, research shows people that eat breakfast regularly tend to be leaner than people who skip. Let's put it this way: to help the body to conserve energy as it goes without food, the body's metabolism slows while we sleep. Feeding your body in the morning gives your metabolism the jump start it needsgiving you more energy and allowing your body to burn more calories throughout the day.

"I'm not hungry in the morning"

Don't get it twisted: breakfast doesn't have to be a full spread, four course meal. A hard boiled egg (yolk removed) with some hummus or just a small cup of good cereal with some soy milk will do the trick. "I don't have time. I need my sleep" Let's put this in perspective: the 10-15 minutes it takes to prepare and consume a humble breakfast would give you much more mileage than that extra 10-15 minutes under the covers.

"No time-the kids make it impossible"

Stuffing your kids' mouths with Pop Tarts or Dunkin Donuts is not instilling good breakfast habits in your children. Studies show that children perform better in school when they've eaten a healthy breakfast. We know it gets hectic, but breakfast should be a priority and don't forget to partake yourself. Children who see their parents eat breakfast are more likely to follow suit. Besides, quality time with the family seems to be dwindling these days. How about you and the kids sitting down for cereal using this time to discuss plans for the upcoming day? Heck, you can even use paper bowls and plates!

"Breakfast makes me more hungry"

We guarantee you that a protein-rich, Zone balanced breakfast will do no such thing. Breakfasts consisting of simple carbs such as white bread, bagels, refined grains such as corn and white rice and sugary kids' cereals puts your blood sugar on the high end of the Richter scale. By that we mean they have a high glycemic index, which means they are broken down into sugars in the body quickly. When your blood sugar comes down from the high, you're ready to eat every and any thing that isn't moving. Cereal selection is very important. Remember that you are counting on it for your day's foundation.

If you have used two or more of these excuses for not eating breakfast, then you should definitely reevaluate your relationship with the first meal of the day and find a way to make breakfast a part of your daily routine.