These days, there are so many pieces of advice and ‘guaranteed-success’ breakfast recipes that one can hardly figure out the best option for their body.
Whether you check your Facebook or Pinterest feeds, everybody talks about wonder ways to gain more energy and lose weight by eating in the morning. Unfortunately, most of these aren’t what they seem.
In other words, not everything that sounds and seems healthy actually is. For example, a hot chocolate oatmeal and blueberry smoothie sounds like a good way to start the day, right?
Well, not really, because this recipe (and many others like it) are much more like a dessert than a healthy breakfast.
Of course, it would take quite a while to check every single recipe and see if it’s actually a good morning option or not. Let’s check the most commonly encountered breakfast culprits and why they are on our ‘guilty’ list!
Granola. Made of oats and nuts, granola is a key ingredient for energic mornings. However, most of the commercial varieties are loaded with unhealthy sugars and fat. The recommended serving size for granola is just 1/4 to 2/3 of a cup to keep calories, fat, and sugar in check – even though that amount does little to keep you satisfied.
Smoothie bowls. Smoothies are quick, fun and easy-to-make breakfast solutions.. and that’s exactly why you can easily fall into their trap. Some smoothie recipes contain 19 grams of sugar without topping, berries or granola added yet! A general rule is that good morning smoothies need to have as little (to zero) sugar included.
Breakfast cookies. Although oatmeal is a great ingredient, but oat-based flourless breakfast cookies and overnight oats aren’t always sugar-conscious. If your oatmeal breakfast cookies include ingredients usually high in sugar like chocolate chips, dried fruit or maple syrup, it’s best to leave them for later.
Yogurt parfaits. Yogurt parfaits are a combo of two of the sneakiest sources of sugar: sweetened yogurt and granola. Why sneaky? Well, technically speaking, both yogurt and granola are great breakfast options, but the way you find them in grocery stores isn’t the right way to eat them! A quick look on the labels reveals that a yogurt parfait has 400 calories and 8-10 teaspoons of added sugar. That’s way more than you actually need throughout the day.
As a bottom line, before buying all those Instagram-worthy treats or trying out those delicious internet recipes, make sure to check whether they really give you the energy you need or not. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and we can’t afford to mess it up!
