Include Oatmeal in Your Regularly Scheduled Breakfast

June Cleaver was right.  Every time she served up a heaping bowl of oatmeal for Wally and the Beav (and probably Ward, too, though we saw him eat about as often as we saw him work), she was making a rare choice for retro TV moms of the time: an uber-healthy breakfast.

Oatmeal is a classic that has really made a comeback, thanks to its super-healthy rep.  It's a culinary star in the land of "super foods" - oats are a valuable source of soluable and non-soluable fibers.  The American Cancer society maintains that fiber knocks out certain bile acids, reduces cholesterol and cuts the risk of heart disease.

But take care at the grocery store - dieticians highly suggest avoiding those convenient little variety packs of paper-bagged-bagged insta-oatmeal; the candy-coated flavors sound yummy, but they pack about as much sugar as actual confections.  Stick to dry oats in that familiar Quaker cylindrical container - or, for an even bigger boost of whole grains, opt for steel-cut oats.  Steel-cut oats provide the heartier inner portion of the oat kernel, rather than the typical rolled oat.

Plain oatmeal can be bland, so dress it up wisely: add nuts, dried fruit and natural sweeteners such as Stevia or honey.  If you prefer maple syrup, choose an all-natural brand, and use sparingly.

Three cheers for oatmeal!  It almost makes up for Mrs. Cleaver's countless bologna lunches.  Almost.