HEALTHY WAYS TO START THE DAY\Find alternative egg-citement for breakfast.

Byline: Diana Lundin Daily News Staff Writer

At least three mornings a week, Mary and Howard Hudson head over to the Four'n 20 Restaurant in Van Nuys and usually order their favorite breakfast - poached eggs, bacon and toasted English muffins.

Nothing is going to break the routine of this Van Nuys couple - especially a pesky study slamming breakfast foods loaded with fat and cholesterol. Just last week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest took issue with heavy breakfasts such as the 1,100-calorie Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's.

"We eat fairly well, we walk four miles a day, and every time we have a checkup, (our cholesterol) is always OK," Howard Hudson said, adding that their cholesterol levels are both below 200.

"We love it here," said Mary Hudson, 49, a retired phone company worker. "That (study) had no bearing at all."

The Washington, D.C., consumer group believes it should. Having previously garnered national attention for panning movie popcorn and certain deli sandwiches, the center is now on a crusade against certain breakfast menus at 17 popular family-style restaurants.

It singled out Denny's $1.99 breakfast of two eggs, two sausages, two strips of bacon and two pancakes, saying its worse than downing two McDonald's Quarter Pounders.

"If you're not careful, it's easy to consume an entire day's worth of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, all before 10 a.m," said Jayne Huley, the senior nutritionist who conducted the study.

Such information may make you want to forget the whole morning repast, but experts say that's even worse.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," said Janet Lepke, a nutritionist for the American Heart Association in Los Angeles. "Studies have shown children perform better in school when they've had a nutritious breakfast. Why wouldn't that extrapolate to adults who are under a tremendous amount of pressure?"

Skipping breakfast adversely affects attention spans, choice-reaction times, physical endurance and performance, said Lillie Grossman, head of the Family Environmental Sciences department at California State University, Northridge.

"If we eat a third to a fourth of our daily calories at breakfast, we'll be able to use those calories fairly efficiently," Grossman said. "If we skip breakfast, our body gets really hungry and we overeat. We're not able to catch up; a lot of people just keep on eating even after dinner."

What's more, passing on breakfast can alter the body's metabolism, the rate at which it burns calories, Lepke said.

"When you skip breakfast, your metabolism start to decline," she said. "It increases your likelihood of gaining weight."

A healthy breakfast, experts say, is one that has a serving of carbohydrates - found in breads, cereals and grains. The body slowly converts carbohydrates into glucose, which is fuel for the brain.

Fresh fruit also is ideal, as is a low-fat or nonfat protein like yogurt, skim milk or cottage cheese. Egg whites and egg substitutes are fine, but should be limited to three to four times a week, Lepke said.

Bagels, which have virtually no fat, are preferable over doughnuts, but go easy on the dairy spreads. Use nonfat or low-fat cream cheese or a thin smear of the regular kind.

"You can add lox for your protein and that makes a good breakfast," Lepke said.

What's not so good?

"Traditional eggs and bacon and toast with butter is not a great idea," said CSUN's Grossman. "It uses up your fat for the day and really slows your body down."

Nutritionists such as Mary Donkersloot, who also serves as a spokeswoman for the California Dietetic Association, tries to give clients a variety of ideas to achieve a healthy breakfast.

"Then you don't have so much resistance about switching," she said. "You have people saying, 'I can't eat this, I can't eat that,' so they throw their hands up and say forget it."

Yet Donkersloot, who wrote "Fast Food Diet: Quick and Healthy Eating at Home and on the Go" (Simon & Schuster; $9.95), reminds her clients to watch how much they're eating, no matter how healthy it is.

"With breakfast, you just have to be careful about what you order and pay attention to the quantity," she said. "When I'm traveling and order oatmeal from room service, they'll give you a huge bowl with 700 calories in oatmeal. So what have you accomplished?

"It's not just about fat content, it's about portion size," she continued. "Oatmeal is cheap and easy to give people a lot of it. They think they're getting a great deal."

Like any other meal, breakfast is a matter of balance, said Wendy Webster, spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association headquartered in Washington, D.C.

"I don't think anyone orders a Grand Slam breakfast thinking it's a low-fat meal," Webster said. "What we tell all our members, you owe it to your customers to have a variety on your menu."

And many do, the association claims. It conducted a study of its own, which found that moderately priced, family-style restaurants are offering an unprecedented number of healthy items on their menus.

Most restaurants - Denny's included - offer a multitude of breakfast items, Webster said, including fruit, egg substitutes and whole-grain toast. Some even cook fat-free foods on request.

"We can do whatever the customer desires," said Selino Alcaraz, manager of Jerry's Famous Deli in Studio City. "If we can do it, we'll do it."

Four'n 20 in Van Nuys has responded to customers' requests by adding a fitness menu to its regular breakfast fare, said manager Dave Burkin. One breakfast item is called the Baja Scramble, made up of wild rice, turkey, mushrooms, spinach and salsa. Another, the Power Breakfast, has five egg whites, tomatoes and wild rice.

"You can't drench everything in oil," said Burkin, who noted that cooks use a virtually fat-free spray to keep foods from sticking. "We try and use as little as possible."

If healthy breakfasts are completely out of the question, Lepke will let you fudge a little as long as you combine the doughnut with something nutritious, like skim milk or fruit.

"Your energy will last longer," she said.

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Photo (1--Cover--Color) Feeling your oats The right breakfast can give you the energy you need Jeff Amlotte/Daily News (2) no caption (Breakfast) (3) "We eat fairly well, we walk four miles a day, and every time we have a checkup, (our cholesterol) is always OK," says Howard Hudson, left, who, with his wife, Mary, routinely has poached eggs, bacon and toasted English muffins for breakfast. Diana E. Lundin/Daily News