Did you know that September is Better Breakfast Month? Many adults — seniors included — skip breakfast. In fact, it’s been estimated that about 10 percent of all Americans (about 31 million people a day) don’t eat a morning meal.

But breakfast isn’t a tradition to be ignored. It’s an important meal that helps you set the pace for your active senior lifestyle and get the nutrition you need to accomplish your daily goals.

Eggs are an ideal staple for a senior’s diet.

Today, in honor of Better Breakfast Month, we thought we’d share with you a few easy-to-prepare, tasty and healthy breakfast recipes that can help seniors get the nutrients they need, while keeping their morning diets interesting.

Eat those eggs!

A 2004 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition asserted that eggs are an ideal staple for a senior’s diet. That’s because they’re loaded with proteins, which many seniors’ bodies begin to lose faster as they age, and B vitamins.

Although egg yolks can also be high in cholesterol, egg whites aren’t. And there’s no need to spend time cracking and separating eggs; pourable egg whites (like Egg Beaters®) are now sold in containers of their own. You can find them along the egg and milk wall at most supermarkets.

Here’s a delicious egg white breakfast recipe you can try on your own:

Egg White Florentine Frittata

Cooking spray or margarine

1 potato, washed thoroughly and diced (skin on)

1-1/2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 carton (16 oz.) egg whites

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Coat a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan with cooking spray or margarine; heat over medium. Add potatoes; cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until hot. Add spinach, onion, bell pepper and black pepper; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Spread potato mixture evenly in skillet. Sprinkle in cheese. Pour egg whites over the potato mixture. Cover skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until eggs are set. Cool and serve.

Fill up on fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts

You might think it’s rabbit food, but the rabbits have this right. Fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts are loaded with the nutrients seniors need to stay healthy.

Seeds like chia, flax and hemp provide you with protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Yellowish-green pistachio nuts provide lutein, which is good for maintaining your sight.

Green veggies are good sources of vitamin K and folic acid. Yellow bananas are an excellent source of potassium, which your heart and muscles need to function properly. Red fruits like tomatoes supply lycopene, which may prevent prostate cancer; orange carrots provide vitamin A precursor beta-carotene.

Berries and citrus fruits give you highly important vitamin C (don’t want anyone getting scurvy out there, now, do we?).

A good rule of thumb? The more colors you include, the more vitamins and minerals you’re getting. here’s a good fall apple recipe that will help you get a rainbow of nutrients:

Apple-Cinnamon Chia Breakfast Bowl

2 peeled, cored and halved apples

1 diced apple

4-5 large dates, pitted

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chia seeds

Nutmeg (to taste)

Optional toppings:

Chopped walnuts

Raisins

Dried cranberries

Hemp seeds

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Cut the 2 halved apples into large pieces. Place them in a food processor, along with the dates, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pulse the mixture several times, then let it process for 2-3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape the mixture down the sides.

Pour your apple-date mixture into a container, add the 1 diced apple and stir in the chia seeds.

Refrigerate for 1 hour. Divide the apple mixture between two bowls and top with raw walnuts, raisins, cranberries, and / or hemp seeds, as you please. Serves 2.

Have some oatmeal

Like it or lump it, oatmeal is super nutritious. It gives you protein, fiber and is fairly low-calorie relative to the nutrition it provides.

You don’t even have to cook it. You can set it the night before and wake up the next day to find it ready to eat:

Overnight Oats

1/4 cup quick oats

1/2 cup unsweetened skim milk (or almond, soy, or flax milk)

Medium banana, sliced

1/2 tablespoon chia seeds

1/2 cup blueberries

Sugar (a little, to taste)

Pinch of cinnamon

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Place all the ingredients in a jar, shake, cover and refrigerate overnight. The mixture will set.

Before serving, add your favorite toppings (chopped pecans, walnuts, granola, raisins, etc.) and enjoy!