The Good News:
After years of hearing that breakfast is sooooo good for you, you've decided it add it to your schedule!
The Bad News:
You may be doing your body more harm than good if you are eating a typical fast food breakfast!
Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, the authors of Eat This, Not That, have revealed the 8 worst breakfast foods--their results may surprise you!!
Worst Side Dish:
Large Hash Browns from Burger King:
620 calories: (which would cover an average breakfast for most people)
40 grams of fat, (11 g saturated, 13 g trans) More trans fat than you should have in a day!
1200 mg of sodium: half the recommended sodium for a day
Worst Sandwich:
Hardee's Monster Biscuit
710 calories
51 g fat (WOW!)
2250 mg sodium (about a person's limit for the day)
Worst Pastry:
Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll
813 calories
32 g fat (5 g trans fat)
117 g carbs
Worst Smoothie:
Smoothie King Grape Expectations II (40 oz.)
1,102 calories
256 g sugars
740 mg sodium
Talk about surprising! Ya think you've finally got it together by drinking a fruit packed smoothie--but the calories in this thing will bust any diet! And with the amount of sugar in this thing...well...just watch out! And please don't drink this if you have diabetes!
What to Eat Instead: Bridget's Favorites
My favorite fast food breakfast:
McDonald's Egg McMuffin:
310 calories
12 g fat (5 g saturated)
820 mg sodium
30 g carbs
Even if you really went for it and ate 2, the diet damage would be less than other fast food breakfasts.
Smoothies:
Unless it's for a meal replacement, order the small size and make it sugar free, because smoothies can be a good way to a get a fruit or two (or in many cases, a fruit juice or two)
I recently went to Smoothie King for the first time. Besides being a pricey after-school snack (about $11 for myself, my son and his friend--and we ordered smalls) I also suspected that there was mucho sugar syrup added to the smoothies. I ordered mine sans sucre--a Splendafied version of the Mangosteen smoothie, which was absolutely delish!)
Cinnamon Rolls
I have to admit, that as a cinnamon lover, it's really hard to resist the tempting smells of the spice when I'm at the mall or airport. And for the first time in years, I did indulge while at the San Jose Airport--opting for the cinnabites--and sharing it with my sister. But just looking at the nutrient info on the classic roll is kind of disgusting!! Only eat this if you can share it with your 4 best friends!!
Hash Browns and Other Breakfast Potatoes
A potato is a really healthy food! But as a breakfast food, it takes on a cloak of "Super-Bad". Be it fried potatoes or hash browns, it's got it in for you in the fat and sodium department. If you really want a potato, wait until lunch, and have it baked! (Use more sour cream than butter to cut the fat and go easy on the cheese and bacon.! You can also mix in some low-fat Italian dressing to moisten it) If the skin is well scrubbed, I like to cut it into pieces and dip it in light Ranch. The skin has lots of fiber and nutrients.
You can find the complete article (and the rest of the Worst Breakfast foods) at http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100216490&page=1
BOTTOM LINE: breakfast really is a good thing for your diet, health and waistline, depending on what you eat.
The MSN article mentioned a study showing that high quality protein breakfast helped with weight loss. That study was done with EGGS, yes, eggs!! Just watch what company your eggs keep on your plate (skip the bacon and sausage; add ham if you're not watching your sodium. Even better, make a veggie omelette or frittata. Some other breakfast favorites of mine:
- Nutrigrain Whole Grain Blueberry Waffles with peanut butter and honey or blueberries
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal spriinkled with Salba and fruit and topped with Horizon Organic Skim Milk
- Eggs scrambled with onion, tomato and garlic served with fat-free refried beans and avocado slices and a tortilla or toast
Ok...and sometimes I eat some hot French Bread with Kerrygold Irish butter. Yum!
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