Whether one believes breakfast to be the most important meal of the day or not, it is important to eat healthy during mornings. A healthy breakfast should contain enough fiber and protein to make one fell full and energetic until lunchtime while an unhealthy meal would leave one sluggish, can cause weight gain and may even contribute to certain diseases according to an Authority Nutrition article by Franziska Spritzler.
If one is unsure which breakfast item to avoid, Spritzler came up with a short list of ten most offending items one has to steer clear of.
1.Breakfast Cereals
A common breakfast staple for both old and young, most people make the common mistake of thinking that breakfast cereals are healthy according to Spritzer. However, most cereals are actually highly-processed foods that are loaded with added sugar.
Citing a 2011 Environmental Working Group (EWG) report, a cup of breakfast cereal was found to contain more sugar than three chocolate chip cookies. Bottomline according to Spritzler, adding whole grains and artificial vitamins and minerals doesn't make it a healthy breakfast option. The excessive sugar content will surely negate whatever advantage these minor nutritional enhancements offer.
2.Pancakes and Waffles
What is wrong with these favorite breakfast treats? Well, it's just the fact that both items contain refined flour, something everybody should try to avoid. According to a WebMD article by Kathleen Zelman, white foods - refined flour, rice and sugar - are essentially "bad" carbs and have been one of the causes of the current U.S. obesity problem.
And one has the habit of topping their pancakes and waffles with pancake syrup which most likely contains high-fructose corn syrup, the meal becomes an even bigger nutritional disaster. High fructose corn syrup is particularly bad as it has been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity according to an AuthorityNutrition article.
3.Toast w/ Margarine
The bread is most likely made from white flour which is a bad choice. In addition, margarine contains trans fat, probably the most dangerous fat there is. Trans fat lowers one's good cholesterol level while, at the same time, it raises bad cholesterol levels making it really problematic according to a WebMD article by Maryann Jacobsen.
4. Muffins
This is another breakfast favorite but even a casual scrutiny could reveal that it is actually made from refined flour, a high glycemic index ingredient. In addition, muffins could contain vegetable oils which are actually harmful in larger amounts. And muffins in the U.S. are generally too oversized by a whopping 333% according to Spritzler.
5.Fruit Juice
Most people likewise make the common mistake that fruit juices are healthy especially with the juicing trend that is currently popular. Unfortunately, fruit juices have high glycemic index and can cause one's blood sugar levels to spike and consuming them could have the same effect as consuming sodas. A better option would be to eat the fruits whole as they still contain fiber and would make one feel fuller.
6. Toaster Pastries
A quick and easy to prepare breakfast item, pastries contain white flour, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil according to Spritzler, making them less than ideal food choices.
7.Scones with Jam and Cream
Although definitely delicious, they contain nothing more than refined carbs and calories. Lacking in fiber, they can make one feel hungrier more often and with their high refined carbs, could lead to weight gain.
8.Sweetened Non-Fat Yogurt
Yogurt is healthy, right? It depends. According to Spritzler, a whole-milk Greek yogurt topped with some berries is definitely healthy but the fat-free sugar-sweetened version is not. This brings up the erroneous notion that fat-free foods are healthy when actually, they are one of the things people must avoid in general.
When foods are stripped of their natural fat content, the food becomes unpalatable. To compensate for this lack of flavor, the food industry pumps in loads of sugar to the fat-free products and that is where the problem starts. The recent USDS nutritional guidelines are very strict in added sugars as it is seen as one of the contributory factors in the obesity problem.
9.Granola Bar
Spritzler notes that although granola bars have unprocessed oats, the fiber content which is around 1-3 grams could not compensate for the amount of added sugars granola bars contain.
10.Processed Gluten-Free Breakfast Foods
Spritzler admits there is nothing wrong with trying to avoid gluten. However, a problem arises when one starts eating the processed gluten-free kind. Usually made from rice, potatoes and tapioca flours, the resulting combination - due to its highly processed nature - has a very glycemic index and could cause a rapid rise in blood sugar.