There’s been a lot of news about breakfast lately — both good and bad. Some studies suggest breakfast may not be necessary to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, but that doesn’t mean skipping out on your first meal is a healthy habit.
A high-quality breakfast can start your day off right — providing you with lasting energy to fuel your day, curb your cravings and help lower your risk for some chronic conditions.
Here are nine of the worst choices for breakfast.
1. No breakfast at all
While a recent human clinical trial reported that eating breakfast isn’t necessary for weight loss, there are plenty of other studies that suggest otherwise. In the largest sample of successful dieters, 78 percent reported eating breakfast every day.
Still, nearly a quarter of U.S. adults skip their first meal on any given day — and that increases your risk for other chronic conditions. What’s more, a Harvard study reported that men who skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to develop heart disease and that female breakfast skippers had a 28 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Eating breakfast may also give you more energy: One study found that breakfast eaters burned 400 more calories during a day through increased daily activity.
2. Store bought smoothies
Smoothies have a health halo, but unless you make it yourself, your smoothie may have more calories than a Big Mac and fries. A Jamba Juice PB Chocolate Love will weigh you down with some 870 calories, and the chain’s Kale-ribbean Breeze comes in at 500 calories and 85 grams of sugar (21 teaspoons) per 28-ounce serving.
Even grocery-store smoothies can have a natural sugar content similar to soda. And, despite the flavor, they’re usually just dressed-up apple juice. So make your smoothies instead with a base of Greek Yogurt, frozen fruit (no sugar added) and milk.
3. Juice or Juicing
Despite being lower in calories than smoothies and rich in myriad vitamins and antioxidants, juices aren’t the best way to start your day because most lack filling fiber and often pack in more natural sugar than a cola (e.g., Naked Juice Green Machine).
Liquid sources of natural sugars cause a more rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin levels, compared with eating solid foods of similar nutritional value (i.e., apple juice versus whole apples).
Researchers reported in The BMJ that fruit juice was linked with increased risk for diabetes.
4. Itty-bitty breakfast
Smaller breakfasts may equal large waistlines. In a study published in the journal Obesity, 93 obese women with metabolic syndrome were divided into two diet groups, each consuming 1,400 calories.
One group ate a big breakfast totaling about 700 calories, and then 500 calories at lunch and 200 calories at dinner. The second group ate the opposite: 200 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch and 700 at dinner.
Results? The big-breakfast group lost nearly 18 pounds versus 7.3 pounds lost in the big-dinner group.
Other studies have found similar results, and researchers believe that we may become more insulin resistant in the afternoon and evening and the body burns fewer calories.
5. Waffles, Pancakes, Bagels and Muffins
Waffles, pancakes, bagels and muffins are common breakfast choices, but they are rich in one thing you don’t want to start your day with: refined flour.
They also lack filling fiber or protein. In fact, one study of dieters found those who ate a egg-based breakfast (as opposed to an equal-calorie bagel-only breakfast) lost 65 percent more weight and lost more belly fat.
6. Egg sandwiches
One of the most popular breakfast choices is a classic egg sandwich — a fried egg, ham and cheese on a toasted bagel or English muffin.
Breakfast sandwiches have about 300 to 400 calories (lower than most bakery breakfasts), but most have up to four times as much low-quality carbs as protein. Because they generally are made with one egg, they fall short of the recommended 25 to 30 grams of protein needed for increased satiety and muscle protein synthesis.
7. Specialty coffee drinks
More than one third of coffee drinkers enjoy specialty coffee drinks every day, according to the National Coffee Association. But many of these beverages have more than 300 calories and can pack in more sugar than a bowl of Froot Loops, making them more like liquid candy.
For example, most 16-ounce coffee drinks (e.g., mochas, macchiatos and frappuccinos) have seven to eight teaspoons of sugar, and even a seemingly healthy green tea latte made with soymilk crams in some 14 teaspoons of sugar — more than four times as much sugar as a serving of Froot Loops!
A sugary start to your day may lead to increased hunger and cravings for sweets once the blood sugar levels plummet.
8. Whole grain” or “high fiber” cold cereals
Don’t let claims like “made with whole grains” or “high fiber” fool you. Research from Harvard published in Public Health Nutrition suggests whole-grain claims may indicate that the food is rich in sugar, sodium and higher in calories.
The best bets they suggest are grains with one gram of fiber for every 10 grams of carbs. For example, a cereal with 30 grams of carbs should have at least three grams of fiber.
9. Flavored Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is heralded as a superfood because it contains twice the protein and about half the natural sugars of regular yogurt if it’s made using the traditional straining process.
However, an industry report from the nonprofit watchdog Cornucopia Institute says yogurt has become junk food, due to the high amounts of added sugar, artificial ingredients and thickeners used to make them.
The institute contends brands that often use artificial ingredients and flavored varieties are stuffed with five to seven teaspoons of added sugars per cup: That’s more sugar than a glazed or powdered doughnut!
A plain Greek yogurt has about one gram of natural milk sugar per ounce, or eight grams (two teaspoons) per cup. But some flavored varieties have three to four times that.
One last thing… you should try this 2-minute “after-dinner ritual” that
burns up to 2 pounds of belly fat per day…
“All
this by a 2-minute “after-dinner ritual?” I asked.
I
met an old friend for lunch last month and I was super impressed with how good
she looked.
She
said, “It’s not so much about the “after-dinner ritual”, but more about how it
gives you a regenerative form of deep sleep that is responsible for everything
we need to dramatically increase our fat burning metabolism and improve our
health and appearance.”
Even
though I was skeptical, I’ve been struggling with my weight over the last few
years, so I gave it a shot and watched the same video she did.
Well,
it’s only a couple weeks later and you know what they say about how “you can’t
transform your body overnight”…
They’re
right – it actually took me 16 days to lose 22 pounds.
Now
it’s my girlfriends asking ME what I’M doing differently 💅
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