7 Breakfast Foods You Should Avoid That Make You Fat

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it is critical if you are trying to lose weight. As a matter of fact, nutritionists recommend us to get a healthy, nutritious, vitamin-rich breakfast, and then to gradually decrease the amount of food that we consume throughout the day.

Not only is breakfast crucial for losing weight (or maintaining a stable weight, for that matter), but it is also very important to a healthy and balanced diet, as well as for a healthy life.

Statistically speaking, the first meal of the day should sum up no more than 500-700 calories, and for this reason it is very important to know which breakfast foods are good for you and which ones should be avoided at all costs. Here you will find 7 of the most fattening breakfast foods that you should steer clear from:

1. Pancakes And Waffles

Pancakes and waffles are part of the traditional American breakfast, and we see them everywhere including in movies. Both waffles and pancakes are delicious: they are cheap and easy fixes, and they are the perfect meal before a hard day at work.

However, both of these breakfast foods are also packed with simple carbohydrates, which means that their satiety level is close to zero, and the chances are that you will feel hungry a couple of hours after you eat them.

Besides this, given the high level of sugar found in the pancakes and the waffles (let alone that found in the toppings!), these foods will also cause sudden changes in the blood sugar levels, thus increasing the risk for diabetes.

2. Breakfast Burrito

This is a relatively new invention that is designed for the fans of the classic burrito. If the traditional burrito as we know it is slightly too heavy for breakfast, the breakfast burrito is specifically designed for the first meal of the day: microwavable and portable, the breakfast burrito is ready within minutes and it is perfect for those who are always on the go.

Nonetheless, the burrito is filled with fat, processed cheese and trans fats, just like any other processed food on the market, and its nutritional value is questionable as well.

3. Store Bought Granola

Granola has a reputation for being healthy, and the truth is that it truly is, as long as it is homemade. However, the store bought granola turns out to be one of the worst breakfast choices you can possibly make, given the fact that it encompasses a variety of sugar-rich, high-calorie compounds that nobody should eat so early, like dried fruits, sugar or honey.

That being said, one small serving of granola has around 10 grams of fat along with more than 400 calories – while the 400 calorie-mark is within the ideal breakfast calorie count, it is important to remember that you will consume some drinks as well (be it milk, coffee or juice) that will add even more calories to your diet.
Granola is widely regarded as a dessert, rather than as a breakfast food, given the fact that it often tends to be highly processed and overly sweetened with added oils, sugars and honey.

4. Trail Mixes

The first thought that crosses your mind when you see a pack of trail mixes for breakfast at the local store is that this must be the healthiest and most nutritious breakfast food you can possibly have. Sure, trail mixes are packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, but they also contain dried fruits, nuts, peanuts and other compounds that are high in calories, sugar or salt.

Some of the commercial trail mixes even contain traces of chocolate for added taste – not only does the chocolate improve the taste of your breakfast, but it also adds to the calorie count.

Trail mixes are very energy dense, and they are often packed with concentrated sugar – while these mixes are great for professional athletes and those who workout a lot, it is important to understand that they also feature high amounts of fat and carbohydrates, which can ruin all your weight loss efforts.

5. Sugary Cereals

Cereals are convenient and time-effective, as they do not require any cooking time – however, starting your day with a bowl of cereals may not be the smartest choice, as they are not nutritious, they barely contain any vitamins and fiber and, most of all, they are packed with sugar.

6. Pastries, Cookies And Other Similar Sweets

Different people eat all sorts of foods for breakfast. Some of them opt for toaster pastries, which are specifically designed to come in a wrapped to-go packaging (and who are also very high in fat, sugar and calories), while others choose bagels.

The problem with bagels, which are very common choices for breakfast, is that just like toaster pastries they also burst with calories and refined carbohydrates. As a matter of fact, one morning bagel weighs up to 500 calories, and if you add extra butter or cream cheese to them, you just got a recipe for disaster.

On the other hand, two other very popular breakfast choices these days are muffins and donuts, both of which have around the same caloric value as the bagels described above (between 300 and as much as 500 calories).

Filled with carbs, butter, oil and all the other unhealthy ingredients, donuts and muffins can also come with up to 40 or more grams of sugar per serving, which is even more than the recommended daily dose of sugar.

Not only does this increase the risk for obesity, but it also triggers blood sugar peaks and increases the risk for type 2 diabetes. Do not let yourself be fooled by donuts, as they come in many shapes and varieties: from honey-glazed and sugar coated donuts to jam-filled ones, they are all equally harmful to your health and your waistline.

7. A Breakfast Smoothie

The breakfast smoothie is perhaps the least fattening choice for breakfast, out of all the other fatty foods described above. The smoothie is healthy as long as it is prepared at home, but the store-bought varieties tend to come with extra full fat milk, ice cream, regular cream and tens of grams of refined sugar.

Source: healthdigezt.com