Breakfast y’all is the most important meal of the day as we all heard of that. and with good reason. Breakfast is our moment to refuel our bodies after a 10-hour fast while we’ve been sleeping.
Making wise breakfast choices will enhance our energy levels, focus, and productivity, allowing us to take on the world!
breakfast table
Making the incorrect breakfast choices, on the other hand, may give a short boost but leave us feeling depleted and tired by lunchtime. To compensate, we may be tempted to make more poor food choices throughout the day.
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Here is a list of the 15 worst breakfast items that you are most likely consuming every day. Some of them will surprise you, especially number 13!
1. High-sugar, high-refined cereals
multicolored cereal, don’t eat that! Source: istockphoto
We’re all aware that children’s cereals in brightly colored packaging should be avoided due to their extremely high sugar content. However, morning cereals that are marketed as “healthy” options but still include a high sugar content are much more harmful.
Breakfast cereals are a favorite of ours. Cereal is a quick, easy, healthy, and nutritious way to fill up in the morning and get ready for the day. But only if they’re prepared from whole grains and don’t include any added sugars.
Breakfast cereals are a favorite of ours. Cereal is a quick, easy, healthy, and nutritious way to fill up in the morning and get ready for the day. But only if they’re produced from whole grains and don’t include any added sugars.
2. Pancakes or waffles
If you’ve ever cooked homemade pancakes, you’ll know that they’re created with flour, eggs, milk, and sugar, as well as a raising agent like bicarbonate or soda to give them their fluffiness. Vegan pancake recipes exist that contain egg and milk substitutes, while gluten-free flour alternatives may also be used to make gluten-free pancakes.
pancakes, waffles, sweets, you don’t wanna eat those too! Source: istockphoto
But what do they all have in common? Sugar! Waffles are much the same as well. Still, they’re both popular breakfast options. The fact that we rarely eat pancakes or waffles plain adds to the sugar burden of a pancake or waffle-based meal. Who does it?
We load them up with sweet syrups and crispy bacon that’s loaded in saturated fats and salt, which simply adds to the calorie count while providing little nutritious value.
Sugar is typically added to popular puffed rice, honey-coated nut cereals, and frosted flakes (whether in big-name brands or market own brand alternatives).
Aside from the long-term health consequences of excessive sugar consumption, a sweet start to the day will only sustain energy levels for a very short period. However, once we’ve digested this sweet burst, we’ll be left feeling hungry and, very likely, reaching for another unhealthy decision.
Check the nutritional content of your cereal and make sure there are no added sugars. Opt for cereals that are made with whole grains and are rich in belly-filling fiber that will help to sustain you until lunchtime.
Choose shredded whole wheat cereals, corn flakes that aren’t coated in sugar, and traditional porridge oats, but avoid microwavable porridge which can often contain hidden, sugary syrups to add taste.
3. White bread and margarine
Source: istockphoto
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Who doesn’t adore a slice of crusty white bread dripping with melting spread? The issue with eating this as a daily breakfast is twofold.
First, there’s white bread. White bread is prepared with white flour, which has been treated to extract the wholegrain, brown component of the flour. In doing so, the important vitamins, notably B vitamins, are eliminated along with the whole grain. Brown bread, made from non- or barely processed wholegrain wheat, is a better option since it has all of the essential elements.
Second, if our favorite spread is margarine, we may gain more weight than we planned for. All spreads, including low-fat ones, include some fat. Margarine is no exception, but margarine has also been processed to make it simple to spread right out of the fridge. Trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated oil, can be added during this process.
Trans fats have been questioned due to their probable links to certain health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Their usage is being phased out in the UK, however, they may still be found in imported goods. Although higher in fat, butter is a superior choice because it is less processed and does not contain trans fats.
Keep your bread brown and your spreads to a minimum in any case.
4. Muffins and pastries
Muffins are tasty, but let’s be honest: by eating a muffin for breakfast, we’re really enabling ourselves to eat cake in the morning, and surely that’s exclusively for our birthday every year?! Even a ‘healthy’ muffin, such as a fruit-filled blueberry muffin, is still really a cake.
Large assortment of muffins and pastries. Source: istockphoto
However, a blueberry muffin contains fruit, making it a healthier option than a normal muffin or, worse, a chocolate chip muffin. Blueberries are high in antioxidants and vitamins, which help to maintain a healthy immune system, so if you’re going to have a morning muffin, make it a fruit one. Even then, keep them for a special occasion!
we’ll surely leave them for hotel and holiday snacks!
5. Fruit juice
Who doesn’t enjoy a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice with their breakfast? There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with a small (about 150ml) glass of fresh juice as a little supplement to an otherwise balanced meal. The issues arise when you consume significantly more than this amount daily.
fruit juice, Source: istockphoto
Ok now, how many oranges could you eat in just one sitting? Our guess is one or two. However, if you drink a large glass of freshly squeezed (either by yourself or from a shop-bought fresh orange) juice, you might be consuming twice as much.
Oranges, like any other fruit used to make juice, are nutritious. They are rich in vitamin C as well as other vitamins and minerals. Fruit, on the other hand, includes fructose, a fruit sugar. So if you eat one or two oranges, you’re not getting much fructose. But if you consume four or more oranges in one sitting, simply as a drink, you’re eating more sugar than you realize. So, if we only drink fruit juice for breakfast, we’re likely to feel hungry soon after.
Fruit juices also eliminate the fiber content of the fruit since the pulp is not consumed. Fiber is necessary for optimum gut health. So consume whole fruits and keep juices to a minimum. And, without a doubt, avoid fruit liquids with added sugars!
Consume entire fruits and avoid juices as much as possible. And, without a doubt, avoid fruit juices with added sugars!
6. Breakfast bars
If there was ever a food that was more marketed as a healthy choice when it isn’t, we’d be unlikely to find one above breakfast bars. which are frequently marketed as alternatives for athletes and others who exercise frequently and don’t have time to make a bowl of oats or muesli, must be done carefully.
Breakfast bar, snack on the go, but no! Source: istockphoto
This is because they are frequently far from the nutritious cereal alternative that they promise to be. As a result, we strongly advise you to read the label. Cereal bars, like many of the cereals described above, frequently feature significant levels of added sugar, much of which comes from the sugar syrups and honey required to hold everything together into a bar shape.
Also, they lack protein because they are not eaten in a bowl with cow’s milk or a non-dairy option such as soy or almond milk. Protein keeps us satisfied for longer, so eating one of these bars for breakfast will almost certainly result in a rumbling in your stomach a short time later.
Choose ones with lower sugar levels, no added sugars, and a protein source, such as peanut butter. Alternatively, have a healthier version with a glass of milk.
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