Scientists say there might be a simple way to avoid jet lag, that bane of all long-distance travelers. Here’s a hint: Two eggs, over easy.

Breakfast, it seems, is the most important meal of the day if you’ve just spent hours on a plane, toppling time zones like dominoes.

Circadian rhythm researchers at Northwestern University and the Santa Fe Institute say our internal cellular clocks get knocked akilter when we eat late-night snacks or irregular meals. And that causes the fatigue and insomnia that are hallmarks of jet lag.

The scientists, however, say having a big breakfast in the morning at your destination time zone might put your circadian clock back on track.

Our circadian rhythm tunes our bodies to the rotation of the Earth and the cycle of day and night. It has concrete physiological impacts on humans every day, helping us sleep at night and wake in the morning. The cellular timepiece regulates metabolism and can adjust our blood pressure, body temperature and hormone levels.

Disrupting this finely tuned cycle over time invites health problems, including, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

The jet lag study used a mathematical model to show how the interplay of circadian clocks of different systems can be manipulated. The morning meal, the model shows, might just cure that sick feeling following a long airplane journey.

The worst thing to do, by contrast, is to have a nighttime meal or to constantly shift meal times.

So, upon your arrival in Timbuktu or wherever else you land, wait until morning and then enjoy a heaping pile of pancakes or any other delightful breakfast.

It might just keep time on your side.