The worst breakfast foods you should really stop eating
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but also the most difficult. It’s the first meal after a long night’s sleep. That’s why it’s important to pay close attention to its composition. Unfortunately, many people ignore this information and don’t give this meal the importance it deserves.
From a nutritional point of view, missing breakfast is just as bad for your health as eating a bad breakfast. So it’s essential to start the day with a balanced meal to get on with your daily tasks.
Many of us eat on the run in the morning. This state of mind sometimes leads us to make food choices that lead us to snack before lunch.
By learning to make the right choice of foods to include in your breakfast, you’ll be sure to adopt good eating habits, even when you’re racing against the clock first thing in the morning.
In what follows, we’ll list a few examples of poor food choices to avoid during your breakfast.
Breakfast cereals: yes or no?
First and foremost, you need to know that sugary cereals are one of the worst breakfasts to avoid at all costs.
Yes, we know what you mean! You can’t help it, especially with all the fond childhood memories they evoke. But you know you’re not a child anymore. You also know that the amount of sugar they contain can quickly make you fat, not to mention the other health complications they can cause.
It’s true that when you eat them, you’ll feel full and energized. But what you don’t know is that this feeling is very short-lived. This is because sugar is a fast-burning substance, so you’ll feel hungry soon after eating your breakfast. Another piece of information you shouldn’t overlook is that the presence of salt combined with sugar can have a very negative impact on your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
So staying fit and maintaining a healthy weight won’t be an easy task if you continue to consume these kinds of products!
If, despite all that’s been said, you can’t stop eating these sugary cereals for breakfast, then replace them with wholegrain cereals rich in dietary fiber, such as oats, muesli or flax cereals. At the very least, you’ll be sure to eat healthy foods that will give you a feeling of fullness that lasts longer.
Pastries
Let’s face it, fruit tarts, chocolate eclairs, muffins or cupcakes… these delicacies make everyone crave breakfast. And we know they’re far from ideal for our slimming program.
High in fat and sugar, these little flavors can easily become a major cause of excess weight.
As an alternative to eliminating them from your breakfast, why not prepare them yourself? That way, you can control the ingredients and the dosage.
You could also opt for healthy alternatives during their preparation, such as using honey instead of sugar.
Viennese pastries
It’s hard to give up croissants, chocolate brioches or pains au lait when you’re on a diet.
And yet, as you probably know, they all contain high proportions of fat and sugar. What’s more, viennoiseries are also very low in vitamins and minerals. They contain many of the saturated fatty acids necessary for their preservation.
To give you a concrete example, eating a 50-80g pastry means consuming 5-25g of lipids.
These lipids will automatically be stored by your body in the form of fat, and will require at least an hour’s walk to burn off. Clearly, then, pastries and your slimming program don’t mix.
If the temptation is too great, consider eating a “mini” version at breakfast. But be careful not to do so more than once or twice a week.
Artificial sugars
Artificial sweeteners include a multitude of sugars. Saccharin, flavored syrups, heavy creams… Too often consumed during breakfast, these substances should be eradicated from your menu.
Contrary to popular belief, artificial sugars are not neutral and have a real impact on our bodies. In addition to the chemicals they contain, studies have shown that they not only cause you to eat more, but also store more fat.
There are many tasty substitutes available today that you could include in your breakfast, such as raw sugar, honey, sugar-free syrups, flavored powders, fat-free milk and soy milk.
It’s true that their tastes are different, but, believe me, you’ll soon get used to them.
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Fruit juices
If you think you’re filling up on vitamins by drinking 100% pure juice or freshly squeezed juice for breakfast, you’re wrong. Fruit juices are high in sugar and low in fiber, with almost double the calories and sugar of whole fruit.
Particular attention should be paid to commercial juices. These are doubly sweet, generally of mediocre quality, full of preservatives and processed concentrates.
As you may have noticed, a natural, homemade juice can be stored for no more than 3 days, whereas commercial juices can be kept for weeks or even months!
If you fancy something sweet for breakfast, try mixing slices of fresh fruit into a yoghurt. The sugar in fruit doesn’t break down as quickly as that in juice. As a result, you’ll feel fuller for longer.
If you’re constantly on the go, try protein shakes.
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Industrial jams
Commercially available jams are full of industrial sugar, used by the manufacturers to bring out the taste of the fruit and to preserve it. Most of the vitamins are eliminated during cooking.
If you like to eat jam for breakfast, why not make it at home? You’ll be sure that its composition is natural and that it contains no chemical additives.
If you can’t afford this luxury, limit the damage. Add a protein source such as fromage blanc or milk to your jam toast.
This protein intake will help limit the rise in blood fat levels. This rise is generally caused by the high-calorie fructose found in industrial jams.
Spreadable butters
A ubiquitous part of our breakfast, spreads – whether peanut butter, hazelnut, chocolate or any other spread – are high in calories and low in nutrition.
This is partly due to the high concentration of vegetable fats in their composition.
Take palm oil, for example. This substance is used as the main component of most butters and spreads.
Palm oil is known for its high saturated fat content, a component that raises cholesterol levels in your blood and represents a real risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
You can always opt for healthier alternatives. Spreadable almond puree is a good example. Available in organic stores, you can buy it unsweetened and then add just the right amount of sugar. It’s a delicious addition to your breakfast.
White sandwich bread
You may not know it, but sandwich bread is essentially made from refined white flour. As a result, it contains too many carbohydrates.
Although it’s a popular breakfast product, it’s far from healthy. Regular consumption increases the risk of diabetes and obesity.
Instead of eating white sandwich bread, it’s better to eat wholemeal bread. Rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins, wholemeal bread has a reduced impact on blood sugar levels.
Improved rusk
Rusk is lighter than bread, but only in weight!
Let’s face it, rusk is nothing more than bread that’s been annealed to make it crispier. Its lightness is due to its low water content.
So let’s stop thinking of it as a “diet” food and stop eating it as much as we like for breakfast.
If you like the crunch of rusks, toast wholemeal bread. It’s also very crunchy, full of fiber and vitamins, and low in salt and fat.
Bacon
As many studies have shown, bacon is packed with saturated fat and nitrate salt. As a result, it greatly increases the risk of heart disease.
What’s more, excessive consumption of red and processed meats increases the risk of cancer, as this study underlines [1].
So try to limit your consumption to no more than once a week.
If you have a salty mouth in the morning, make yourself some boiled eggs or a plain omelette for breakfast. This way, you’ll fill up on protein without damaging your health.
In conclusion, keep in mind that a healthy breakfast should be balanced and contain a variety of foods. Avoid excess without falling into deficiency, and make sure you choose your morning foods carefully.
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