Four simple rules could turn your breakfast into a cravings crusher, pound shedder, and mood booster.

It's all about timing and balance, according to Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons, author of Potatoes, Not Prozac.

One, Two, Three, Four . . .
Here are DesMaisons's four simple rules for using breakfast to counterbalance the biochemical mechanisms behind sugar cravings, obesity, and depression. (Browse her book online.)

1. Do it daily. Your goal is to make it a daily, automatic habit. The reward? You can kiss late-day low blood sugar and sugary snack cravings goodbye -- permanently. Learn why some foods are more addictive than others.
2. Do it sooner rather than later. For the best results, eat breakfast within an hour or so of waking up -- even if you're not hungry. Morning-time low blood sugar produces a brain chemical designed to mask hunger pangs -- but can cause sugar cravings later in the day. Try these 10 other easy ways to outsmart your appetite.
3. Make it complex. We're talking complex carbohydrates here (whole-grain cereals, steel-cut oats, high-fiber fruits, etc.) The fiber keeps blood sugar on an even keel and helps you feel full longer. Here's a complex-carb take on a breakfast standard: Healthy Pancake Mix. (To turn the mix into pancakes, you'll need this Eating Well recipe, too, for the liquid ingredients.)
4. Power it with protein. Protein slows digestion, helps prevent spikes and dips in blood sugar, and can even give you a dose of depression-fighting tryptophan. DesMaisons recommends that you get a third of your daily protein at breakfast. (How much protein do you need each day? Find out with this tool.)

Get a complete breakfast makeover by reading this article.

Potatoes, Not Prozac. DesMaisons, K., New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

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