#1-Essential vitamins and minerals:
Your body and your mind need vitamins and minerals for good health. Vitamin E, for example, helps support a healthy mind. Calcium helps to support a healthy body. And breakfast is the perfect time to get a jump on your nutrition needs for the day. A bowl of Total® Honey Clusters, Total® Cranberry Crunch, Whole Grain Total® or Total® Raisin Bran supplies 100 percent of the Daily Value of many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E and calcium.

#2-Whole grains:
"Foods made from whole grains, for example, benefit the body in ways that are not linked to any particular nutrient," says Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota. "Furthermore, it's hard to match the nutrients and other beneficial compounds that are found in whole foods like whole grains." So instead of white rice, regular pasta, and flour tortillas, try switching to brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and corn tortillas.

#3-Better health:
Eating certain foods may help lower your risk of certain diseases. Dr. Slavin points out that "eating whole grains daily may help reduce the risk of heart disease and may also help you manage your weight."

#4-Energy:
Food supplies energy to get you through the day. I know that if I skip breakfast because my day is overly busy, I feel tired and cranky. And as a result, I tend to eat foods later in the morning that are much less nutritious than my usual breakfast of Whole Grain Total with low-fat milk and fruit. On the other hand, my morning is much more productive if I've eaten breakfast.

#5-Phytochemicals and antioxidants:
Scientists continue to learn more about the link between health and phytochemicals and antioxidants found in foods. "Foods are filled with phytochemicals and antioxidants that work together in unique ways that experts are just beginning to understand," says Densie Webb, Ph.D., R.D., author of "The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous." "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts."