8 Foods You Should Never Eat At Breakfast
We sound like a broken record at this point, but we think this point bears repeating: the first thing you put in your body after you wake up sets the tone for the rest of your day. You wouldn't want to fill your sports car with regular gas in the morning and then premium at night, would you? You should be treating yourself with the same care!
That's why we're pleading: please don't "fuel" your body with these unhealthy breakfast foods. High in sugar and carbs with no fiber, loaded with saturated fat, or full of belly-bloating sodium, these foods will do nothing to nourish you with the clean energy you need to function at your best. Even worse: they may be negatively affecting your health.
Avoid these unhealthy foods during your morning meal when you can, and replace them with these 37 Best Healthy Breakfast Foods for Weight Loss.
Toaster Waffles
Toaster waffles are perhaps the most nutrient-void breakfast food you can consume. If you opt for these pucks of empty carbs, you can expect to consume 180 calories worth of 5 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of sugar. There is less than 1 gram of fiber and just 4 grams of protein. Add on the fact that you're slathering them with at least a knob of butter (100 calories and 12 grams of fat) and at minimum two tablespoons of pancake syrup (105 calories and 16 grams of sugar), and you're looking at a breakfast that will set you back more than it will prepare you to go forward with your day.
Bottled Smoothies
We always recommend The 25 Best-Ever Weight Loss Smoothies, but smoothies when found in a bottle are nothing like these weight-loss superstars. It's because companies simply juice fruit and call it a smoothie. They don't add any digestion-slowing foods like high-fiber seeds, healthy-fat-full nut butter, or protein powder — essential ingredients in a smoothie that will actually keep you full rather than leave you wanting more.
Muffin
Muffins are essentially cake that is rebranded as a breakfast food. Not only are they made with awful-for-you, highly-processed ingredients and vegetable oils, but they're also loaded with sugar — 45 grams worth in muffins like the Double Chocolate Chip ones from Costco.
Toaster Pastries
The only thing these pastries are fueling is your nostalgia. Your little body could process and use the carbs and sugar more than you do now. Any natural energy you do get from the added sugar in these pastries will soon be followed by a crash due to the low fiber count.
Biscuits
This may be a comfort meal to enjoy once in a while, but biscuits and gravy or just biscuits and eggs in a breakfast sandwich aren't something you should enjoy regularly. Made with a significant amount of vegetable oil to attain that mouth-watering texture just loads you up with saturated fat — something that will make you feel heavy, not full.
Cinnamon Roll
There's nothing more enticing than the smell of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls, but don't like that convince you to have one for breakfast. It would be ok if there were mini versions to keep the carb count low and then you can pair it with high-protein eggs or a protein shake, but more often than not, you'll indulge in just a cinnamon bun and nothing else.
Orange Juice
You will get your recommended intake of vitamin C in each glass of OJ, but that's nearly the limit of the nutritional benefit. What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Orange Juice? You'll get hit which a whack of carbs with nothing to help your body from digesting them slowly — especially if you pair it with any of the other carb-heavy foods on this list. If you want to sip on some orange juice, cut your serving in half (you can even dilute it with water), and make sure to pair it with a high-protein breakfast like eggs and whole-grain toast.
Canned Corned Beef Hash
Corned beef is one thing, but canned corned beef hash is another. Cured with nitrites, preserved with metabisulfites, thickened with gum arabic, and flavored with sugar and natural flavors, this monstrosity is by far one of the unhealthiest foods you can eat for breakfast. And that's just ingredients we're talking. If we look at one of the leading brands' cans, the nutrition facts tell us that a one-cup serving contains 400 calories, 26 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat (that 55% of your daily value), and 1,270 milligrams of sodium (that's also 55% of your daily value of the nutrient). All you get in return is 21 grams of protein — what you'd be better off consuming in Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of nutty granola form. Speaking of Greek yogurt, have you checked out What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Greek Yogurt?
