Chew on This: Oatmeal Heats Up as Top 2011 Food Trend for Breakfast

Mom always said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and apparently we listened to our mothers: the Food Channel's recent survey of their readers revealed that 95 percent of them regard breakfast as very or somewhat important.

Based on research conducted by The Food Channel in conjunction with CultureWaves and the International Food Futurists, the results of the survey indicate that two-thirds eat breakfast daily at home. Of the rest, about 25 percent nosh on their morning meal at the office. And the food of choice: half of those who responded eat eggs, while 25 percent opt for hot or cold cereal more frequently.

Here are the details:

1. Oatmeal is hot. Order it at the Golden Arches, spoon it up at Starbucks, or become a Jamba Juice oatmeal junky if you like to breakfast out. If you're a home-is-where-the-breakfast-belongs type, go for real oats rather than that sugar-based instant stuff. You'll fill up on the fiber and stay satisfied longer if you take the time to make slow-cooked oatmeal the old-fashioned way.

2. Permission to breakfast on chocolate. Chocolate-flavored foods for breakfast have long been loved by kids, of course, but now chocolate for breakfast goes gourmet with chocolate granola and chocolate tea among the popular contenders. We know that chocolate is good for us, with antioxidants as the temptation, so why resist? Just make sure it's got real cocoa, not imitation.

3. Fast food restaurants increasingly have breakfast items on the menu, with Wendy's and Hardee's hoping for your early am dollars. Just opt for the healthy options and skip the grease-laden hash browns, and you can feel virtuous about taking time for breakfast the fast food way!

4. Save your money and make a fancy coffee drink at home. There may be a coffee house on every corner - but some of us are choosing to grind our own coffee and make a brew that's even better and costs less at home. Recommended: also check out the grocery store's already-made beverages for full flavor in less time -- and less money.

5. Ethnic breakfasts show up on the menu. Try a breakfast taco or burrito for a change. Another option: a morning meal influenced by Europe, such as bangers and mash or baked beans.

6. From different flavors of orange juice to carbonated fruit juices, breakfast beverages expand. Experiment with new varieties, too, such as pomegranate juice. But avoid diet soda at breakfast: research increasingly indicate that it doesn't help with dieting and can also trick your taste buds and possibly cause you to crave sugary foods.

7. If you have a teenager in the house who refuses to eat breakfast, consider this: pizza at breakfast is a hot new trend. Kellogg's even is launching fruit pizza for breakfast.

8. You say breakfast is your favorite meal of the day? Bring it on -- all day! Lunch and dinner menus increasingly include popular breakfast items, such as hash browns and various egg concoctions. And the appetite for bacon concoctions (bacon chocolate?) apparently is staying strong.

9. Breakfast part A and part B: some folks are enjoying two breakfasts. They have a small cup of coffee with a piece of toast or mini muffin at home or a cafe, then mid-morning they nosh on yogurt or fruit. Studies show that mini meals may be healthier than a few larger meals, and even help with weight loss. Just skip the French toast topped with syrup and whipped cream for one of those mini meals!

10. Eggs are good for you? Ask your doctor first, but many experts feel that an egg a day is acceptable for most individuals. As a result, the Food Channel predicts that eggs will "hatch" a comeback in 2011 as a popular breakfast item.

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Source: Research conducted by The Food Channel in conjunction with CultureWaves and the International Food Futurists.