DR ZAITUN YASSIN offers tips on how to start the day full of energy.

ON certain days, you may find yourself so caught up with work and personal commitments that you hardly have time to catch your breath.

Eating takes a backseat Because you're trying to accomplish as much as possible. Breakfast means a cup of coffee or a teh tarik. You skip lunch due to your hectic schedule and your dinner companion, sad to say, is a packet of potato chips hastily wolfed down in the office.

If you find yourself frequently facing such days, where it's all go, go and go, then it's safe to say that you've been disregarding healthy eating habits.

There are simple-to-adopt tips that ensure you stay sharp and focused when the days are full.

Breakfast not only kick-starts your day and provides you with enough fuel to keep going, it also improves attention span, alertness and memory function.

To boost metabolism, eat a balanced diet comprising complex carbohydrate food like whole-grain cereals and high-protein food like milk and cheese.

Cut down roti canai and nasi lemak as they have high fat content, which can leave you feeling bloated and lethargic.

If you're always skipping breakfast and then compensating with a heavy lunch, then you should consider waking up earlier or preparing the breakfast the night before.

If you have no time for breakfast because you have to leave early to beat the traffic or have overslept, try these tips:

- Keep edibles like fruits, fresh bread/buns, sliced cheese or hardboiled eggs handy so you can eat them on the run.

- Buy food, for instance a kacang pau, kuih apam or putu mayam on your way to work.

- Keep a stash of food at your workstation. Crackers, dried fruits, nuts or energy bars are nutritious and tasty.

By lunch time, your body would have used up most of its nutrients and energy from breakfast. Lunch thus provides you the opportunity to re-fuel and increase your alertness and performance.

Therefore, you should:

- Avoid eating while working, as you tend to eat more than you need. Try to take proper lunch breaks as much as possible;

- Always go for healthy, light dishes and don't overeat. Stop when you're full or you'll end up bloated and sleepy;

- If you eat out and order mixed rice or noodles, remember to add fish or lean meat and vegetables to make your meal complete. Top it up with a piece of fruit.

- If you're eating in the office and there's only instant noodle, try to add some vegetables or eggs.

If you have to travel during the lunch hour and are resigned to missing your meal, fret not. All you need to do is keep snacks at your workplace that you can grab and go.

Healthy choices include fresh or dried fruit, high-fibre cereals or biscuits (with no fillings), wholegrain sandwiches, nuts and yogurt.

And don't forget a bottle of water to stay hydrated!

After a hectic day, it's great to come home and have a proper sit-down dinner because this meal gives you the chance to meet your daily nutritional requirements.

But what do you do if it's one of those days when you still have your hands full?

You can opt to eat out or pack food from the stall or restaurant, but if you prefer a healthier home-cooked dinner, here are ways to get just what you want:

- Keep cooked rice or pasta as a healthy base for a quick meal. As long as you have the right ingredients, just throw them in to create your own recipe!

- Clean and keep vegetables so they're ready to be cooked. Or, if time is really of the essence, you can also eat certain veggies like carrots or celery raw.

- Cut up and freeze fish, poultry and meat in individual packets. You can defrost these by moving them from the freezer to the refrigerator before leaving for work.

- Get meals home-delivered. It saves time and is a great help if you're completely useless in the kitchen.

One important thing to keep in mind is not to skip any of your meals. You may be bogged down with commitments but don't use them as an excuse to neglect your meals.

When you do, you lose out on essential nutrients and energy that you need to perform at your optimum.

If you miss regular, healthy meals, you won't have the energy to keep busy.

Associate professor Dr Zaitun Yassin is from the Nutrition Society of Malaysia. This article is brought to you by Nutrition Month Malaysia (NMM), the annual nutrition promotion campaign jointly organised by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, the Malaysian Dietitians' Association and the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity. NMM '08 is supported by Nestle Products Sdn Bhd, Cotra Enterprises Sdn Bhd and Yakult (M) Sdn Bhd