As adults living in a fast-paced world, we may be a little lax in assuring we eat a balanced breakfast every morning. Sure, a granola bar or a banana on-the-run may not be the end of the world, but even though those things may have some nutrition to them, they are not balanced breakfasts.

One thing we don't want to do is pass this tradition on to our kids. Today's lifestyle demands a lot from these little people too, and a balanced breakfast will give them a good start to tackle the world, one day at a time.

Dr. Sears, one of the most down-to-earth famous pediatricians out there, has some ideas about balanced breakfasts for kids. Complex carbohydrates and protein should both be present, so he suggests to think whole grains plus dairy plus fruit.

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My kids eat a lot of fruit -- apples, strawberries, bananas, you name it. I don't think they've met a fruit they don't like and when I discourage them from their junk-food tendencies, they always opt for fruit. I've always considered this a good thing. Fruit is healthy. Why not let them eat their little hearts out. But today, after serving seven-year-old Joey his third bowl of strawberries, I wondered: How much fruit is too much fruit? So I did a little digging and found these answers.

According to this Woman's Day website, if eating fruit replaces sweet foods like candies and muffins, then indulging is A-OK. "I don't know anyone who has got fat from eating fruit," says writer Judy Davie who warns us not to forget a balanced diet consisting of other essential nutrients such as Vitamin A, B group vitamins, iron, and calcium

The folks at The World's Healthiest Foods say fruit can cause weight gain -- any food in large quantities causes weight gain -- although fruit may be safer to eat in excess than other foods. Fresh fruits contain about 15-20 calories per ounce -- a medium-sized apple contains about 120 calories, for example. Calories are calories. Unless you burn them off, they stick around. And dried fruit is particularly dangerous. Beware: Six ounces of raisins contain about 500 calories.

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Are you a food fan? Yeah, aren't we all? Sometimes it's tough to know exactly what to eat though, especially if you're trying to find a healthy, balanced diet but don't want to spend precious free time reading and re-reading labels. If you want to find out what foods give you the most most bang for your buck (health-wise at least) check out this fun, illustrated article posted on AOL Body.

It lists 10 of the best possible foods to eat when attempting to create a balanced diet full of nutrients, vitamins, fatty acids, antioxidants and more. These are the foods that will not only fill you up but that will keep your heart, brain and the rest of your body in great shape.

In no particular order, here are the Top 10:

• Kidney Beans (Check out this post by Debra McDuffee for the skinny on kidney beans).
• Avocados (Learn more about the healthy fats in avocados by taking the quiz Brian White mentions here).
• Bananas (Find delicious banana-tastic dessert recipes in Jessica Ashley's post on the healthy fruit).
• Green Tea (Decide what kind of tea is best for you in Bethany Sanders' post on green, black and white tea).
• Almonds (Check out Rigel Gregg's post on celebrity snacks to find out which stars love almonds).
• Wild salmon (Try the easy glazed salmon recipe mentioned by Debra McDuffee for your next meal).
• Honey (What's so fab about honey? Find out about the wonder-food in this post by Rigel Gregg).
• Broccoli (Debra McDuffee lets you know why broccoli is super here)
• Blueberries (Enjoy healthy blueberry muffins with this recipe courtesy of Jessica Brim).
• Extra virgin olive oil (Martha Edwards' post on healthy cooking tips discusses olive oil and other foods).

They're all tasty and offer the added bonus of being really really good for you. Head over to AOL Body to take a look at the foods and find out more about what exactly it is about each that makes them so edible and excellent.

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