Breakfast choices determine your day and also your weight. There are a number of healthy breakfast options. But there is one breakfast food that slimmers and health conscious people should avoid! Nutritionists explain on why you should not eat it!
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Breakfast choices and weight
The first meal of the day, breakfast should be mindfully thought of. It should be filling and satiating. And it should boost your energy to begin the day and carry out your daily activities until lunch. One should never skip it.
There are innumerable healthy breakfast choices that one can make. It varies according to the region of the world, race, and local tastes and cuisines. One can have whole wheat toast with eggs, waffles, pancakes, oats, granola etc. The breakfast food should have high protein content.
Sugary breakfast cereals (Source: Love food)
Recently, yoghurt and fish have also been hailed as healthy breakfast options. One can have salmon with whole wheat toast and beans. And one can top yoghurt with fresh fruits, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Healthy fats are allowed.
Breakfast cereals are okay as long as they are not loaded with sugar, salt or saturated fats. Nutritionists warn that commercial breakfast cereals are sugary and could defeat your goals of weight management. These are the worst options to commence your day. They would lead you to feel hungry before lunch. Also, you would end up making unhealthy food choices at lunch and dinner.
Sugary breakfast cereals and weight gain
Breakfast cereals are an easy and convenient food choice for breakfast. One can make it non-veg, veg or vegan. But most of these available in the market contain a lot of sugars. And these would be a bad choice for breakfast.
These give instant energy but this is followed by a crash. It raises blood sugar very high and are bad for diabetics. Mary Sabat, dietitian adds:
“Eating sugary cereal can lead to abdominal fat gain due to the high amounts of added sugars and refined carbohydrates, which can cause blood sugar and insulin levels to spike and crash, leading to increased appetite and fat storage in the abdominal area,”
Sugar filled breakfast cereals (Source: New food magazine)
“Additionally, sugary cereals are often low in fiber and protein, which can contribute to overeating and weight gain over time.”
Nutrition expert, Dr. Robin Baines is in agreement. She says:
“If losing weight is the goal, eating sugary cereals for breakfast is a bad idea,”
The low fiber and protein will make you feel hungry soon. Also, this will make you snack before lunch adding to your daily calories and weight too. Nutritionist Lindsey DeSoto adds that these cereals have no clear-cut portion size. And thinking that they will not affect your weight, you might end up over consuming them. And that means more calories and more body fat.
But those breakfast cereals that have no or low added sugars and are not made from refined carbs are OK to eat at breakfast.
What to eat at breakfast?
If you want to stick to breakfast cereals, read the labels of those available in the supermarket. Purchase those have have lesser calories, lesser sugar, lesser fats and salt and more fiber and protein.
Do not go by what is written on the front of the package. It might say nutritious. But in the labels it might have more than recommended sugars. Hence go carefully through the ingredients and label before buying them.
Sugar rich breakfast foods (Source: Eat this not that)
Choose those made from whole grains and having lots of dietary fiber in them. Additionally, one can enrich them by pairing them with a lean protein source. And nutritious alternatives to breakfast cereals would be-
Oatmeal
It has high fiber and one can add fruits and nuts to enrich them. Cinnamon is also a good addition to it.
Catalina Crunch
This has high fiber and is grain free. It is rich in protein with no added sugars.
Bran flakes
These have low sugar and are high in dietary fiber. Add milk and yoghurt for a wholesome breakfast.
Sugar filled breakfast cereals (Source: New food magazine)
