Getting out of bed in the morning can be rough - especially on Mondays. Eating a healthy breakfast will give you the energy and pep you need to get your act together and start the day. "The best foods to eat at breakfast are high in protein and good fats, which keep your blood sugar steady and provide energy from nutrient-dense sources that will keep you satiated,” says culinary nutrition expert, Andrea Wien. But eating a terrible meal will drag you down. Don’t begin your day with food that works against you (and contributes to weight gain). Drop these foods fast.
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Cereal
“Sugary cereal is a terrible breakfast food,” says David Baillie, a Connecticut-based personal trainer and owner of Front-Line Fitness. Many cereals are highly processed, and full of sugar and refined carbohydrates. It’s super important to read the food labels on cereal boxes and aim for one that has at least 3 to 5 grams fiber and no more than 5 grams sugar per serving. And then look to see how much is in a serving. A typical recommended serving size is 30 grams, which Baillie says is about half of what the average person eats.
Bagels & Muffins
Sorry, bagels. We have to part ways. “Eating a bagel actually makes you hungrier because there is nothing in it to fill you up,” says Stacy Goldberg, a nutritionist at savorfull. “The calorie count in a bagel is astronomical!” Muffins take second place. You’re fooling yourself into thinking they are NOT cake! Both bagels and muffins cause a spike in blood sugar that begins a cycle of hunger and binging that ends in your body storing fat.
Fruit Juice
Ahh, a nice refreshing glass of orange juice! Wait, that juice lacks fiber so all you're sipping is a carb that’s going to spike your blood sugar. But you thought fruit had fiber. And it does. But that gets lost when a fruit is juiced. All of the phytonutrients found in fresh whole fruit doesn’t translate to just juice, says Alix Turoff, a New York City nutritionist and trainer. Here’s an eye-opening example. Turoff says there’s a trendy pressed juice that contains kale, spinach, parsley, lemon, and green apple. One bottle of it has 210 calories, 48 grams of carbs, 37 grams of sugar and 0 grams of fiber. As for protein? It has just 3 measly grams.
Flavored Yogurt
“Yogurt is a good source of protein, calcium, vitamin D, and probiotic bacteria such as L. acidophilus, but not all yogurts are created equal,” says Jenny Dang, RD, the founder of Eat Your Dang Veggies. Flavored yogurts contain more than 15 to 18 grams of total sugar. Sure some are natural but most are added empty calories. “You can reduce your added sugar intake by choosing plain, unflavored yogurt and flavoring with fresh or frozen fruit, nuts, cinnamon, and/or a drizzle of honey,” says Dang.