If you are a breakfast skipper and a chronic dieter, a new book may persuade you to change your ways. Pam Anderson, a cookbook author who penned such titles as “The Perfect Recipe” and “Perfect Recipes for Having People Over,” has come through with “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great” (Houghton Mifflin, 2008). In it, Anderson chronicles her gradual accumulation of excess poundage (all those years of recipe testing!) and her gradual (but delicious) shedding of said pounds. There are inspirational passages, tips, come-hither food photos and, yes, those “perfect” recipes for every meal.

One of the first steps on her journey, Anderson says, was to toss her scales and pack up her diet books. One of her second steps was to get religious about breakfast.

“The evidence is overwhelming,” she writes. “Breakfast skippers are less efficient, more sluggish, foggier thinkers and bigger bingers, and they have higher body mass indexes (more body fat) than those who eat breakfast. ... Skip breakfast, and your metabolism slows, and the body retreats to survival mode, burning minimal calories. Eat it, your metabolism kicks in, and the body goes to work.” Even if you don’t need to lose weight, that bit about being a “foggier thinker” may induce you to detour to the kitchen on your way to work.

There are of course a million and one healthy things to eat for breakfast, and Anderson provides hints and recipes for every palate: smoothies, parfaits, cereals, breakfast “pizzas,” pancakes and eggs — including omelets and quiche. For a smoothie, Anderson suggests using as a base 1 cup of light vanilla or chocolate soy milk, fresh fruit, a frozen banana and about 2 teaspoons of honey. If you make an omelet, use 1 whole egg and 1/4 cup egg whites. If you cook pancakes, make them with whole grains. If you make a yogurt parfait, go easy on the yogurt (she recommends 1/3 cup of low-fat, plain yogurt), heavy on the fruit (1-1/2 cups) and light on the crunchy topping (2 tablespoons of chopped toasted nuts, Grape Nuts cereal or her homemade granola). Crave quiche? Make it crust-less.

It’s not rocket science, but it’s still a hard concept for many of us to grasp. Mom was right: Breakfast is important. So if you want to lose weight, think more clearly and all that good stuff, start the day with this good stuff.

The recipes come from Anderson’s book and from my own files.

SAUSAGE, CILANTRO AND CREAMY SALSA-VERDE OMELET

For the omelet:

1 teaspoon canola or other vegetable oil

1 large egg

1/4 cup liquid 100 percent egg whites

generous sprinkling of salt and ground black pepper

For the topping:

2 tablespoons light sour cream

2 tablespoons store-bought salsa verde

1/2 fully cooked lean turkey sausage, sliced thin

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet set over low heat. Beat egg and egg whites in a small bowl along with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and salsa verde. Set aside.

A couple of minutes before cooking, increase temperature to medium-high. When wisps of smoke start to rise from pan, swirl the pan so the oil coats it completely.

Add eggs. Using a plastic or wooden spatula to push back the eggs that have set, tilt the pan so that uncooked eggs run into the empty portion of the skillet. Continue pushing back the cooked eggs, and tilt the pan until the omelet top is wet but not runny. Turn heat to low, and sprinkle the top of the eggs with the sausage, salsa-verde mixture and cilantro. Cover and cook until the cilantro has wilted, about 2 minutes.

Yield: 1 omelet, 266 calories

Recipe from “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great” by Pam Anderson (Houghton Mifflin, 2008)

LEMON-BLUEBERRY MULTIGRAIN    PANCAKES

1 cup bleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup whole-wheat flour

1/3 cup “old-fashioned,” uncooked oatmeal (not quick-cooking or instant)

4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1-1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup low-fat milk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for skillet

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 teaspoons water, as needed

1 to 2 cups frozen blueberries

apple butter, pumpkin butter or low-fat syrup or jam (warmed) for serving (optional)

Heat a large, nonstick skillet or grill over low heat while preparing the batter.

Mix together the flour, cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, oats, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and zest in a medium bowl.

Combine the buttermilk and milk in a microwave-safe bowl or a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, just to room temperature. Whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla into the liquid. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk just until mixed. If using the measuring cup, return the batter to the measuring cup so that you can pour it out. If using a bowl, you will need a quarter-cup measuring cup to use as a ladle. Thin the batter with a teaspoon or more of water, if needed; it should be a thick but pourable mixture.

Increase the heat to medium, and lightly brush the skillet or griddle with oil. When it starts to spread out but before it start to smoke, pour in the batter, 1/4 cup at a time, working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of the blueberries over each pancake. When the bottoms are golden brown and tops start to bubble (2 to 3 minutes), flip the pancakes over, and cook until golden brown on remaining side. Repeat, brushing skillet or griddle with oil as needed. Serve hot with optional topping.

Yield: 16 four-inch pancakes; 100 calories per pancake

Recipe from “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great” by Pam Anderson (Houghton Mifflin, 2008)

OAT FARLS

2 cups “old-fashioned,” uncooked oatmeal (not quick-cooking or instant)

2-1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk

canola oil or other vegetable oil for greasing pan

2-1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour, plus more for flouring the work surface

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

The day before serving, mix the oats with 1-1/4 cups of the buttermilk. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, and lightly grease with oil.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the oat-buttermilk mixture, adding as much of the remaining buttermilk as is needed to form a soft dough. (You may not need to use all of it.)

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and pat or roll out to form a circle about 1 inch thick and 9 to 10 inches in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut into eight wedges, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm, plain or with low-sugar jam.

Yield: 8 servings, about 225 calories per serving

Recipe from “From Celtic Hearths” by Deborah Krasner (Viking, 1991)