Those of us who don?t want to give up cereal, toast and tea, can optimise our health benefits easily. ?Try topping your cereal with a sliced-up banana or apple,? says Brigid McKevith, of the British Nutrition Foundation.

Choose cereals with high levels of fibre and added vitamins and minerals. Complex carbohydrates, found in whole grains, release their energy more slowly into the bloodstream. For this reason, porridge, made from rolled oats, and muesli are better than highly refined breakfast cereals, such as cornflakes.

A spokesman for the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers says: ?Breakfast cereals fortified with vitamins and minerals provide at least 25 per cent of the daily requirement of essential vitamins and 17 per cent of iron.?

lBran flakes and muesli contain up to four times the fibre of luxury breakfast cereals and considerably less saturated fat. The ideal muesli contains plenty of nuts and seeds, which are rich in protein. Full-fat milk tastes better and contains more of the fat-soluble vitamins A and D.