Quick, healthy breakfasts on the go

>> "joy's diet s.o.s." where we solve your diet dilemmas. joy bauer tackles your questions on everything from healthy breakfast on the go to the benefits of bananas. joy is "the new york times'" best-selling author of "the joy fit club ." joy, good morning.

>> hey, natalie.

>> let's get right to our viewer questions. first one is coming from brigitte from alexandria, virginia. she joins us on skype. hi, bridget, good morning. what's your question for joy?

>> hi. i'm a college student at virginia tech , we're always running out the door in a rush to class. i know that eating breakfast is essential to a healthy diet . i never have time for one i'm always finding myself starving and snacking on unhealthy choices later in the day. do you have any suggestions for a quick, easy and healthy breakfast?

>> it's a great question. i think the simplest way for you to tackle breakfast is this. i want you to pick up and stash in your dorm room a few convenient single-serve protein foods. and then do the same thing with a few single-serve high quality carbohydrate foods. and before you dash out to class each morning you're going to grab one from each category. so sort of going to become like a mix and match game. for the protein entree, the protein choices you could do a string cheese , nonfat or low fat yogurt container, you could even boil up a dozen eggs in the kitchen in your dorm building on the weekend and then you could stash them for during the week right in your fridge in the dorm. and then for the high quality carbohydrates you could do a granola bar , easy to eat fruit like apples or bananas or oranges. and then you could get a box of whole grain cereal and small little baggies and preportion the cereal, as well. on one morning it might be yogurt and banana. on another morning spring cheese and small baggy of cereal and i think the strategy is simple, it's healthy and it totally gets the job done because it's the protein and carb combination that increases your brain power and it's going to curb hunger.

>> as you're doing your homework there. a little planning the night before will go a long way.

>> so many people have that same issue.

>> absolutely. okay. next one is sue from knoxville, tennessee on the phone with us. good morning, sue. what's your question for joy?

>> good morning. i know this is a silly question, but we are having this debate at work about bananas. one person likes green bananas. i like them a perfect yellow. and another person likes them very ripe with freckles. does the nutritional value change during the process from green to very ripe?

>> i think it's a good question. everybody has their different definition as to what is that perfect banana. so here's the deal, all bananas, whether they're green, yellow, or brown, each have about 105 calories, they're loaded with potassium which is great for your blood pressure . they have some b12 and also some fiber. the only difference is how our bodies respond in terms of blood sugar . because as bananas ripen, so we're talking about the yellow and the brown, the starches break down to sugar . that's why they're so much sweeter than the green guys, and they're also going to give you a harsher, more quick rise in your blood sugar . for the co-worker that likes the green bananas, you've got a little health perk going there.

>> good to know. who knew that? all bananas are good for you anyways. thanks, sue. next viewer e-mail question here from pamela from michigan. she writes, i feel confused when reading ingredient labels. join the club . i try to avoid high truck troes corn syrup but what about corn syrup , brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice .

>> they're all sugar . a lot of people sort of fall for these healthier sounding sugars.

>> briek brown rice sugar .

>> at the end of the day they're just processed a little bit differently. different techniques, different sources. for example corn syrup is from cornstarch just like high fructose corn syrup but it's a little less processed. evaporated cane juice is from cane sugar just like table sugar but somewhat less processed. and brown rice sugar is from rice that's been treated to form sugar . it's not so important as to what type of sugar , what way more important is how much sugar is in a product. when you see these things on a label you've got to identify them as sugar , as well. they can cause weight gain if you eat them in excess.

>> absolutely. next one viewer e-mail. this is barb from illinois, she writes, i work in a food store deli and we carry a product that claims to be gluten free . i have heard from other people that once the product is opened, and placed on a slicer used for other meats, it is not gluten free anymore. is that true?

>> unfortunately, it is true. and that's because some meats have gluten containing additives. and when you're sharing a slicer with gluten free meat, and gluten containing meats there could be some cross contamination . for people that have a gluten intolerance , or they just get themselves off of gluten for a personal preference, it's not such an issue. but for people that have celiac disease or a wheat allergy , even a trace amount can be dangerous.

>> really?

>> so in that case your absolute safest bet is to buy packaged, sealed meats that say certified gluten free right on that label.

>> is it possible to ask the deli worker not to use the slicer, right?

>> it's difficult because it gets very chaotic and busy and unintentionally there will be cross contamination . but some delis are diligent. you just have to do some checking.

>> okay, good to know, joy bauer. great diet s.o.s. still