Since I rarely eat meat, getting my RDI of iron is difficult for me, but I know firsthand how important it is -- if I'm not getting enough I get lightheaded and lethargic. The same can happen to you!

According to our friends at Fitsugar, we need 18 mg of Iron per day, and without this, we may be considered anemic. Get your share from the following sources:

• Iron-fortified cereal (1 oz) - 4.5-7 mg
• Soybeans (1/2 cup) - 9 mg
• Sun-dried tomatoes (1/2 cup) - 9 mg
• Pine Nuts (1/2 cup) - 9 mg
• Pumpkin seeds (1/2 cup) - 9 mg
• Oysters (3 oz) - 7 mg
• Spinach (1/2 cup) - 3 mg

Want to know more iron-rich foods? Head over to Fitsugar for the scoop on iron.

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If you feel tired and worn down all the time, resting doesn't help, and exercise of any kind -- even just thinking too hard -- actually makes things worse, then you may be in with thousands of other Americans who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -- or CFS. The cause of CFS is not completely understood, and as of now there is no cure. But with treatment can you recover from it?

A recent study looked at whether Cognitive Behavioral Therapy was effective in helping people heal from CFS, and although the results were mixed the overall result seems to be that reducing symptoms is very possible and some can even fully recover. That's encouraging!

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If you feel tired or lethargic during workouts, you might be low on zinc. Zinc has always been known as an important mineral for immune system functioning and many other general body functions, but research suggests it may also play a major role in how much energy and stamina we have, and how sore we get, when working out. Usual dietary sources of zinc are oysters, red meat, and poultry, but if you're looking for other options fortified versions of cereal, granola, legumes, nuts, and wheat germ are also good choices.

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Most old sayings are founded on some kind of truth, and the example "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" is a perfect example. I don't know, if back in "the old days" they understood all the science behind why, but they definitely had a sound principle.

If you're truly interested in getting fit and/or being healthier, one of the best things you can do for yourself is start eating breakfast every day. I'm a big believer in breakfast, but I'm reformed from the "I don't have time," "I'm just not hungry," and the "but when I eat breakfast I end up starving by lunchtime..." crowd. I liked the idea of boosting my metabolism (because then I'd burn more calories without even doing anything!) and literally forced myself to start having a yogurt every day, even though I wasn't hungry. And it actually worked! Now I also made some other lifestyle changes in my quest to start losing weight, like exercise and generally eating healthier, but I do believe that adding breakfast was a big part of the positive change.

Studies have shown that your body kicks into a kind of 'conservation mode' after 10-12 hours of not eating, slowing the metabolism down to save energy. By eating in the morning when you get up you're kick-starting your system back to the healthy and faster metabolism it naturally wants to have.

So what's the best thing to eat for breakfast? There are many options, but one solid choice is cereal. Avoid cereals with added sugar, and instead find one (or some) that still taste good but are high in fiber. Fiber does wonderful things for your body in all kinds of ways, and usually high fiber foods are also rich in several nutrients.

Eating breakfast is one of those things that even if you don't think it's working the wonders for your health or diet it's supposed to, it's definitely doing good things behind the scenes. And maybe you'll be like me and see a huge difference!

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