Israel, Vietnam, and Costa Rica have one important custom in common: Their traditional breakfast serves up a tasty mixture of veggies.

In Israel, it includes fish such as salmon, herring, or mackerel (loaded with omega-3s and 7s and protein), plus a chopped vegetable salad with tomatoes, red onion, parsley, cilantro, and cucumber.

The Vietnamese enjoy a soup called pho that's made with broth, rice noodles, a touch of chicken or other meat, vegetables, and herbs, including basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, carrots, and cucumber.

And in Costa Rica, breakfast is loaded with protein, fiber, and complex carbs from "gallo pinto," a mixture of rice and black beans with eggs on the side.

In contrast, in the United States only 41 percent of folks eat breakfast daily and 152,500 Pop Tarts are purchased annually (loaded with high fructose corn syrup and dextrose). One popular choice is the breakfast sandwich. But a Sausage McMuffin delivers 450 calories, 250 from fat. That’s 43 percent of your daily recommended intake, and enough egg yolk and red meat to cause inflammation, energy drain, heart disease, and brain rot.

If you're serious about staying healthy, adding veggie power to your mornings is smart. Try an egg-white omelet with spinach, tomatoes, and peppers; steel-cut oatmeal with steamed kale and hazelnuts; or diced carrots, tomatoes and herbs in non-fat Greek yogurt.

It'll make a world of difference in how you feel all day.