Breakfast is known as the most important meal of the day, but how do you know you're getting
the most out of it? While some foods will deliver the energy to kick butt throughout
the day, others can leave you worse off than if you'd eaten nothing at all.
Croissants, scones, muffins, and even the humble toaster pastry are definitely associated
with breakfast, but they're far from the best choices to start your day with. Breakfast
baked goods like muffins are usually packed with added fat and sugar, which are liable
to cause blood sugar spikes. And what's more, certain food myths aren't helping people get
a handle on whether having what is essentially cake for breakfast is a good idea or not.
While Israeli researchers published work in 2012 seeming to indicate that people could
eat chocolate cake for breakfast and still lose weight, the interpretation of the study
was widely overgeneralized and misconstrued. As dietitian Melanie McGrice told Honey Coach,
"If you go back and look at the details of the original study, the researchers found
that eating a larger breakfast, including some desserts if desired, is better than eating
larger meals throughout the day. That doesn't mean that you can just replace your whole
breakfast with chocolate cake!"
The same holds true for breakfast pastries, which despite having breakfast in their name,
are far from the best choices in the morning.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, plain yogurt is a solid breakfast option, as it's jam-packed
with calcium, probiotics for gut health, and especially in the case of Greek yogurt, a
good amount of protein. However, flavored yogurt is often so packed with sugar that
the health benefits are far outweighed by the downsides, turning what looks like a healthy
breakfast into something that has a far closer nutritional profile to a dessert like ice
cream.
Of course, not all yogurts are created alike. Some are worse than others, with offerings
from some brands like So Delicious, Trader Joe's, and even Activia containing more sugar
than some candy. If you love your breakfast yogurt, opt instead for a no-sugar-added plain
Greek yogurt and add fresh berries for sweetness. The fiber from the berries will keep your
blood sugar from spiking, transforming this option from a breakfast no-no into a breakfast
yes-yes.
Green juice was all the rage a few years ago, but its popularity has petered out, and for
good reason. Juicing vegetables or fruits removes their fiber and thus makes them more
likely to spike your blood sugar. Fiber is an essential macronutrient that aids in the
promotion of good gut health, which has been linked to improved brain health as well. And
according to the National Institutes of Health, 95% of Americans don't get enough of it. Eating
whole fruits and veggies is the smarter decision for more reasons than one.
The only time that experts say juicing may be beneficial is when you wouldn't eat the
fruits and veggies on their own. But you should really make the effort, as there are so many
delicious ways to eat your veggies, from air-fried zucchini chips to roasted Brussels sprouts
to honey-glazed carrots. Or just munch on some fresh fruit as a snack, and you've got
your produce requirement covered!
There's nothing wrong with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.
"Don't even talk to me until I had my coffee."
In fact, coffee contains healthy antioxidants, and drinking black coffee has been linked
to a host of benefits, including an improved ability to metabolize sugar and reduced risk
of developing Parkinson's disease and heart failure. But once you start adding stuff to
your coffee, its benefits dwindle significantly. And sugar and cream are just the beginning.
With that in mind, Starbucks Frappuccinos may be marketed as coffee, but they're truly
little more than coffee-spiked milkshakes. And according to Insider, four different Frappuccino
flavors make up the four unhealthiest options at Starbucks. The worst offender is the Cinnamon
Roll Frappuccino, with a whopping 85 grams of sugar and 510 calories in a grande. That's
more sugar than three Snickers bars. And if you wouldn't eat three Snickers bars for breakfast,
you should probably say no to one Frappuccino first thing in the morning as well.
The granola bar industry is perhaps the world's most talented at framing something that is
essentially a candy bar as a healthy snack. The idea of granola sounds healthy enough.
It's a combo of whole grains like oats or buckwheat combined with protein-dense nuts
and antioxidant-rich dried fruit, after all. And that is indeed healthy, but the reality
is that most granola bar brands contain far more sugar than a healthy breakfast really
needs, often in the form of cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup instead of fiber-rich
fruit.
For example, Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Harvest granola bars can contain up to 15 grams of
sugar per serving, with just one to two grams of fiber to balance it out. As a comparison,
Health Warrior Chia Bars contain just three grams of sugar per serving and five grams
of fiber, making them a far healthier option. The bottom line is that if you're opting for
a granola bar for breakfast, do your research to find one that uses whole ingredients and
keeps added sugar to a minimum.
Pancakes may be a classic breakfast favorite, but they're not exactly the healthiest option,
especially if they're topped with another classic choice. Pancakes are both calorie-dense
and nutrient-poor, thanks to the presence of white flour and white sugar, so there's
not much there to make them a nutritious breakfast. And topping them with maple syrup makes them
go from bad to worse, thanks to the added sugar.
Real maple syrup contains some valuable trace minerals, like manganese. But let's be real:
despite the minerals, maple syrup really is pretty much just pure sugar. At least it's
better than artificial maple syrup, though. The fake stuff is made not from maple sap,
but rather, high-fructose corn syrup, which research has shown is even worse than just
sugar alone. No matter how you slice it, while pancakes may be a nostalgic breakfast treat
beloved by generations, they're far from the healthiest choice for anybody.
"Thanks to this year's successful pancake breakfast, we've raised enough funds for next
year's pancake breakfast." "Huzzah! Huzzah!"
Now that we've covered what you shouldn't eat for breakfast, let's talk about what you
should eat, starting with a classic. Scrambled or poached, in an omelet or fried, eggs have
long been a breakfast staple, and for good reason. They're not just rich in protein and
healthy fats, they're also high in choline, a compound essential for the production of
acetylcholine, which contributes to memory, mood, and muscle control.
Eggs are also popular thanks to their richness in protein, which keeps you full all morning
long. Add to that the fact that they're easy to cook and that research shows that those
who eat eggs for breakfast lose 65 percent more weight than those who eat quick carbs
like a bagel. With all that in their favor, it's obvious that eggs are a top breakfast
choice, especially the morning after a rough night. Research shows that the cysteine in
eggs can help counteract the toxic effects of acetaldehyde, the chemical produced by
the body as it metabolizes alcohol. So stock your fridge with some recovery eggs before
hitting the bar!
Rich in fiber and beta-glucans, whole grain oatmeal has long been a breakfast favorite.
It's clinically proven to lower cholesterol and improve weight management in people with
type-2 diabetes. And you can push the power of oatmeal to the next level by pairing it
with other foods, like antioxidant-rich berries and healthy fat-rich nuts or nut butter, making
for a complete and balanced meal.
Fat and protein are two macronutrients that keep you full long after you've eaten, and
they're also two macronutrients that oatmeal is unfortunately quite poor in by itself.
The addition of nut butter keeps you fuller longer. And adding sweetness in the form of
fiber-rich fruit will keep your blood sugar from spiking as much as it would compared
to a purer sugar source like maple syrup or honey.
If you like the idea of a slightly sweet breakfast with protein for staying power, but you also
know you just don't have time to make a hot meal before you're out the door, a simple
combo of a banana and nut butter might just be what you need. Bananas boast high levels
of potassium, fiber, and vitamins B and C. They're relatively high in sugar compared
to many other fruits, but when paired with protein and fat, they exhibit far more staying
power by keeping you fuller longer.
"Bananas? Yes."
Furthermore, nut butters are loaded with healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, each nut
offers a different range of nutrients, so it can be fun to change them up! Just keep
an eye on their sugar content, which in some brands can yank this food out of the healthy
category in an instant. To make your breakfast even more exciting, consider sprinkling the
nut butter with antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory cinnamon, which will add even more flavor
and nutrients to your breakfast.
A salad for breakfast might sound like a weird idea to a lot of people, but hear us out.
"'Two sal-ads.' Never heard of it!"
There's no inherent reason why we think of certain foods as breakfast foods and others
as non-breakfast foods. This brings us to the Whole30 Program, a trendy anti-inflammatory
protocol similar to the paleo diet, which is all about the breakfast salad.
Whole30 followers have to eat breakfast as a part of the program, but due to the limited
foods allowed on the program, they're pretty much stuck with eggs for 30 days straight.
So a salad, particularly one that's easy to make, can look like a lovely way to start
the day. A simple Cobb salad might feel a bit more familiar in the morning, thanks to
the presence of both bacon and eggs, while a tomato and cucumber salad is super refreshing
on a hot day. Avocado and corn can join tomatoes in this fresh salad made with loads of summer
produce. More adventurous breakfasters might like an omega-3 rich tuna-based Niçoise salad
or a sweet-and-savory salad made with fresh strawberries.
Another breakfast option that might seem a bit odd at first is the humble sweet potato.
This bright orange root veggie is actually the perfect choice to get your morning off
to a phenomenal start. It's packed with nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin C, and beta-carotene,
not to mention minerals like iron, calcium, and selenium.
More traditional breakfast recipes that feature regular potatoes are easy ways to bring sweet
potatoes into your morning routine. Consider using sweet potatoes to make a hash or home
fries to serve with eggs or roasting them and folding them into an omelet. Or try more
modern approaches, like a sweet potato porridge, which is grain-free and perfect for a paleo
diet. Or you could opt for sweet potato "toast," made by broiling or grilling thin slices of
sweet potato and piling them high with mashed avocado, guacamole, or nut butter.
Natto is a dish of fermented soybeans that might be hard to stomach for someone who's
never tried it, but this Japanese breakfast fave is an incredible source of a healthy
bacteria known as Bacillus subtilis. This microbe helps create the ideal conditions
for the growth of probiotics to improve digestion, brain function, and even immune response.
It's also rich in protein and minerals like manganese, iron, copper, vitamin K, and magnesium.
So look past the slightly slimy texture and funky aroma, and give natto a try.
Natto is traditionally served with white rice and topped with chopped scallions. It also
pairs nicely with a topping of poached or fried egg. Once you get the hang of serving
natto, you can also add other ingredients to the mix, like toasted sesame seeds for
nutty crunch or even diced creamy avocado, which adds loads of fiber and healthy fats
to your morning routine.
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