Why Your Morning Meal Deserves More Attention
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day for a reason. The right foods can help you feel satisfied and focused, but sadly, many popular, tasty options contain far more added sugar, refined carbohydrates, sodium, and saturated fat than you'd want from your first meal of the day. Here are 20 of the unhealthiest foods you're eating for breakfast that you might want to avoid more often.
1. Sugary Breakfast Cereal
Cereal might be the most convenient breakfast you can have, but most varieties you pick up from the grocery store likely come with a shockingly high amount of added sugar. Most cereals are made with refined grains, meaning they provide very little fiber or protein, and all in all, don't contain as much nutritional value as you think.
2. Frosted Toaster Pastries
More of a dessert than a balanced breakfast food, frosted toaster pastries are sweet and delicious, but they're not exactly the most nutritious thing to wake up to. They're often a combination of refined flour, sugary filling, frosting, and processed oils, which doesn't just mean a lot of calories and sugar, but they also don't provide much protein or fiber that you want in an energizing first meal.
3. Glazed Donuts
This one should be obvious, but while donuts are a delicious morning treat paired with coffee, they're nowhere near healthy. A glazed donut delivers refined carbohydrates, added sugar, and a lot of fat in a compact serving. Larger bakery donuts with fillings and toppings can contain even more sugar and calories.
4. Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches
Frozen breakfast sandwiches are a quick way to get in a meal when you're busy, but unfortunately, most are high in sodium and saturated fat. These tend to be made with processed meats, cheese, and buttery biscuits or refined English muffins, which can quickly turn a modest-looking sandwich into a heavy meal.
5. Bacon, Egg, And Cheese Biscuits
Bacon, egg, and cheese are three beloved breakfast ingredients, but when you toss them into a buttery biscuit, you're left with a rich, unhealthy morning meal. Bacon and cheese add sodium and saturated fat, while biscuits often come with refined flour and additional fat. Eating one occasionally isn't a major concern, but making it your regular morning order can become problematic.
6. Bakery Muffins
Muffins might seem like they're healthier than donuts or other pastries, especially if they contain blueberries, bran, or nuts, but the truth is, they're really just a sweet treat too. Bakery versions often include large amounts of sugar, refined flour, and oil, loading up more calories than you'd imagine.
7. Pancakes Covered In Syrup
Plain pancakes aren't automatically unhealthy, but throwing on generous toppings can change the nutritional picture real quick. Refined flour pancakes topped with butter and syrup contain plenty of fast-digesting carbohydrates with limited protein and fiber. Don't even mention restaurant verisions with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and other sugary add-ons!
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8. Belgian Waffles With Whipped Cream
We can't mention pancakes without also shouting out waffles. Unfortunately, Belgian waffles are typically large, thick, and made with refined flour, butter, and sugar. Once whipped cream, chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, or flavored syrup is added to the picture, breakfast becomes much closer to dessert.
9. Sweetened Instant Oatmeal Packets
Oatmeal can be an excellent healthy breakfast option, but that doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Flavored instant packets aren't always the best for you, and some varieties even contain enough added sugar to overpower the benefits of the whole-grain oats!
10. Flavored Yogurt Cups
Yogurt can be a misleading breakfast food because while it does contain protein and calcium, heavily sweetened varieties may contain more added sugar than you'd expect. Fruit-flavored cups sometimes rely on syrups, concentrates, and sweeteners rather than generous portions of whole fruit to make them tasty.
11. Bottled Breakfast Smoothies
The word “smoothie” can make any bottled drink sound naturally nutritious, but don't be fooled; some commercial versions contain considerable added sugar. These also tend to have less fiber than a smoothie made with whole fruit, vegetables, seeds, and unsweetened milk. It's the consequence of convenience.
12. Fast-Food Hash Browns
Potatoes aren't bad for you, but once you deep-fry them, that's a different story. Adding on a significant amount of fat, sodium and calories, fast-food hash browns might be affordable and convenient, but they're certainly not as healthy as if you just roasted your own potatoes at home.
13. Sausage Gravy And Biscuits
Coming from the South, biscuits and sausage gravy might be an iconic dish, but it's definitely not one you should be eating on the regular. This filling breakfast is high in sodium, saturated fat, and refined carbohydrates, with the creamy gravy containing processed sausage, milk or cream, and added fat, and the biscuits contributing even more richness.
14. Cinnamon Rolls
Honestly, cinnamon rolls are just an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. It's no surprise this beloved baked good isn't exactly healthy; cinnamon rolls contain refined flour, butter, sugar, and sweet icing, sometimes in very generous amounts. And because they're low in protein and fiber, they won't keep you full for long.
15. Breakfast Burritos With Processed Meat
Breakfast burritos can be nutritious when made with the right ingredients like eggs, beans, vegetables, and salsa, but versions packed with sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, cheese, and creamy sauce are just heavy in sodium and saturated fat.
16. Granola With Added Sugar
Don't believe the healthy reputation that granola carries because many packaged products are coated with sugar, honey, syrups, or oil that make a small serving surprisingly calorie-dense. It's crucial that you measure your portion and select a lower-sugar variety to prevent a casual bowl from becoming an excessive breakfast.
17. Sweet Coffee Drinks
Many people are surprised to learn that a flavored coffee drink can contribute as much sugar and saturated fat as many solid breakfast foods. Syrups, whipped cream, sweetened milk, and drizzled sauces add up quickly, particularly in larger sizes, and should never be overlooked.
18. Processed Breakfast Sausage
Breakfast sausage is flavorful and rounds out a plate with eggs and potatoes on a taste level, but processed varieties are often high in sodium and saturated fat. You can still enjoy sausage from time to time, just keep the serving moderate.
19. White Bagels With Cream Cheese
A large white bagel can contain several servings of refined carbohydrates in one sitting, and adding a thick layer of full-fat cream cheese only increases the calorie and saturated fat content. It might be an easy, handheld breakfast, but if you're not careful, it can really impact your health.
20. Chicken And Waffles
This popular sweet and salty breakfast dish is definitely delicious, but it also combines two rather unhealthy foods: chicken and waffles. Sadly, the result is generally high in sodium, added sugar, refined carbohydrates, and fat, especially when restaurant portions are involved.
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