Fruit Juices
We know what you’re thinking, “how can this be unhealthy? The word “fruit” is in the title.” Well don’t let the name fool you, as some fruit juices can be far from healthy, especially ready-to-drink varieties. In fact, many of those (really) colorful juices you see lined up in the refrigerator at the supermarket contain more sugar and preservatives than juice. In turn, you don’t get the same freshness, vitamins, and/or benefits of the fruit.
Drink this instead: freshly squeezed juice, water, tea, piece of fruit.
Fruit Juices
Bacon
The crispy, smoky, greasy, and scent-palpitating aroma of bacon is enough to make your mouth water before you even enter the kitchen. While bacon may be one of the tastiest breakfast foods, as well as a common staple of a big breakfast, it really doesn’t serve a valuable nutritional purpose. Let’s just say that the sodium and saturated fat content in bacon doesn’t mix well with your heart, or your waistline. Everything in moderation!
Eat this instead: Canadian bacon, lamb bacon, beef bacon, chicken.
Bacon
Low-Sugar Pastries
In order to make up for the flavor loss in the ‘no/low fat’ version you will see companies pepper their treats with sugar to improve the overall taste. Sugar and sugar alcohols hurt your digestive track, lead to sugar jitters, and make you feel sluggish all day long. Look at what high glycemic foods do to you and you’ll quickly understand the need to avoid these treats. A side effect of ditching these pastries will also be that you have nicer skin without the surplus of sugar in your diet.
Low Fat Pastries1
Doughnuts
It’s hard to turn down a box full of beautiful doughnuts when you stumble across them the first thing in the morning, but you probably should. Doughnuts are full of sugar both inside and outside and are made of processed white flour. Doughnuts in your diet will lead to a rise in blood sugar, increased hunger in a shorter period of time, and even diabetes in severe cases. If you want to have those easy to eat pastries then opt for for the gluten free, wheat based ones with a healthy protein as an additive. They still aren’t great but they can be a little bit better for you.
Indulge in this instead: a slice of whole-grain toast topped with cinnamon.
Doughnuts
Toast & Spreads
Toast is almost as integral to the breakfast experience as the glass of milk and, with the wrong toppings, completely damaging to your attempts at a healthy diet and a healthy body. When you take a slice of white toast and top it with smears of jelly or jam you are essentially giving up on your meal. Toast with sugar laden toppings are just carb bombs that give you literally nothing else.
Eat this instead: whole wheat toast topped with an egg or some avocado.
Toast Spread
Coffee
Coffee in and of itself is fine if you drink it in moderation and in addition to a healthy and well balanced breakfast. However, too many people are opting instead to have coffee as their only source of nutrition in the morning. Not only is the caffeine in coffee going to give you an energy boost, followed by the jitters, but you will also be assaulted with sugar and a load of other unhealthy additives. You are essentially drinking the majority of your days calories without getting any of the nutritional benefits, which isn’t exactly ideal.
Try this instead: make coffee a small part of your balanced morning and rely on a well rounded meal to give you the energy you need. You can even opt for breakfast shakes as a meal replacement if you don’t want to sit down and make a large meal.
Coffee
Sugary Cereals
The more colorful the boxes are, the more sugar in each bite, the better the flavor — typically. As it happens, these flavorful cereals are typically loaded with one unhealthy ingredient: sugar. So the next time that you decide to find your way to the cereal aisle make sure you pay close attention to the sugar servings on the boxes. If the cereal has more than 10g of sugar per serving you should go ahead and pass for something healthier. If you eat a ton of sugar in the morning you’ll pay for it as the day progresses: sugar crashing will lead to feelings of physical and mental sluggishness — no good.
Make a bowl of this instead: oatmeal topped with dried fruits (dates/raisins) and chopped nuts (walnuts/almonds/sunflower seeds).
Sugary Cereals
Breakfast Sandwiches
There is nothing wrong with the occasional loaded breakfast sandwich (meat, egg, cheese, bread) but you don’t want to make make those breakfast sandies a consistent food in your dietary routine. The biggest problem with breakfast sandwiches is that you are getting the majority of your diet killing additives from the least nutritious part of the meal: the bread. These breakfast sandwiches, which are typically pre-made, come armed to the hilt with carbs, sodium, and saturated fats. There are still ways to enjoy these flavor combinations if you really do want to keep them around.
Order this instead: a poached egg and toast with a side of ham.
Breakfast Sandwiches
Pre-Made Smoothies
Breakfast smoothies are awesome when they are made by the hands of people who know how to balance flavor with health. Unfortunately, most pre made, store bought smoothies end up lacking the proper attention to your diet needs. When you buy a store bought smoothie you are going to get something full of sugar, blended with poor ingredient, and spiked with additives to keep your taste buds engaged. On top of all of these negatives, you’ll also see a huge price hike on the pre made smoothies. Instead of opting out of smoothies you should take some time to make your own.
Blend this together instead: healthy greens, like spinach or kale, with some almond milk, fruit, and ice.
Pre Made Smoothies
Store-Made Granola
Granola is surprisingly one of the trickier breakfast options, as it’s commonly assumed it’s one of the healthier choices, when guess what guys, it’s not. Yes, this is heartbreaking news to us as well. And what’s even more heartbreaking is the fact that store-bought granola can actually have very similar, if not the same, nutritional value as a giant glazed doughnut. The included ingredients of store-bought granola can be decieving as we automatically correlate granola to healthy.
Make homemade granola instead: buy nuts, seeds, whole grain oats, and spices and mix all ingredients together into a big plastic bowl. And for that extra crisp and wholesome flavor, pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet, drizzle some date honey over the top, and put into your oven for 10-15 min — you don’t want your creation to burn.
Granola
Pancakes With Syrup
Most pancakes are made with highly-processed ingredients that provide minimal benefits to contribute to our health. And while a couple of stacked pancakes aren’t too horrible, the butter, syrup, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream toppings (yum) are what really ruin this breakfast. Plus, who are we kidding? Most restaurants serving size is a minimum of four large pancakes.
Order this instead: a bowl of energizing vitamin-B rich oatmeal topped with fresh berries, honey, and granola.
Pancakes
Light Yogurt
Light yogurt is simply filled with sugar alternatives that seek to sweeten up the food while keeping the calories down. What you end up getting is a yogurt that is filled with chemicals that doesn’t do anything for you. Plus, light yogurt is pretty bland and blah — not so much taste going on there.
We suggest this instead: Greek yogurt with the fruit(s) and/or nuts of your choice.
Yogurt
Fried Potatoes
Whether it’s an omelet, sunny-side eggs, pancakes, or sometimes even a fruit plate, majority of these breakfast dishes are served with a side of perfectly crisp (aka fried) hot potato wedges. However, as unbelievably tasty as these wedges are, they’re (also) unbelievably unhealthy — okay not unbelievably, but they’re not the best breakfast choice.
Satisfy your craving with this instead: hash browns, baked potato, baked sweet potato, sweet potato fries.
Fried Potatoes
Multigrain Bread
Multigrain bread is a myth when it comes to healthy breakfasts. What people don’t realize is that the majority of multigrain bread at the grocery store is filled with processed flour. This means that your healthy multigrain bread is, in actuality, no better than the boring white bread that is so popular but so unhealthy. If you can’t cook up your own bread then we suggest looking for wholegrain bread. If you have a local bakery then you’ll be able to easily find what you need in order to have a healthy carb in the morning.
Multigrain Bread
Breakfast Bars
Breakfast bars, which range from ‘cereal bars’ all the way to ‘healthy nutritional bars’. The sugar to fiber ratio in (majority) of breakfast bars is discouraging, as the high sugar levels surpass the fiber levels by far.
Look for these breakfast bars instead: Kashi and/or Kind bars.
Breakfast Bars
Processed Meat
Are you the kind of person that likes to load up some bacon or sliced ham onto a muffin in the morning? While we agree that a breakfast sandwich with processed meat sounds good, it really is anything but. Processed meats are filled with nitrates and preservatives which both lead to an increased risk of potential cancer later on in your life.
Opt for these protein-based foods instead: eggs, cottage cheese, or mixed nuts.
Processed Meat
Muffins
Muffins are the desert of breakfast foods and they shouldn’t be on your table in the morning. The facts are simple: muffins are loaded with sugar, butter, white flour and any number of other poor ingredients. Most muffins are oversized and the majority are flavored with sugary additions made to lure you in. If you do want to have a muffin with your breakfast then you need to make sure that your portion control is on point. Stick to about 2 oz of muffin for breakfast and make sure to accompany it with some high quality fare.
Eat this instead: a whole-wheat English muffin with fruit preserves.
Muffins
Fast Food
Nothing good can come from a bag of grease in the morning. While there are some solid breakfast foods out there in the fast food world, the majority of them have no business being near or inside of your body when you are trying to get going in the morning.
We suggest this: wake up 20 minutes earlier (then usual) and prepare yourself a healthy, hearty, and grease-free breakfast.
Fast Food
Fruit Cups
Fruit is great and a cup of fruit is awesome, so what is wrong with a fruit cup? Well, prepackaged fruit cups are stored in preservatives and they are loaded with excess sugar thanks to that thick syrup that coats them.
Look for this instead: organic and fresh options from your local supermarket or farmers market.
Fruit Cup
Sausage Biscuit Sandwich
The sausage biscuit sandwich, a claim-to-fame at McDonald’s, may smell and taste better then what it’s worth, calories wise that is. Honestly, there’s really nothing healthy about this breakfast option. The trans-fat and high amount of sodium in the processed sausage can make your blood pressure rise exponentially. We’ll stop there, no need to explain the buttery biscuit.
Eat this instead: whole wheat roll with Canadian bacon or lean ham.
Sausage Biscuit
Flavored Non-Dairy Creamer
It’s not the coffee, it’s what you add to the coffee. Additives such as white sugar, flavored syrups, half-and-half, or flavored non-dairy creamers can quickly turn a simple cup of coffee into a high calorie drink. So if you have more than one coffee a day, the more calories you’ll intake.
Try this instead: gradually start to subtract the sugar and cream, working your way towards liking a regular cup of Joe. Or skip the fancy creamers and stick with skim-milk.
Coffee Creamer
Omelet With Cheese & Meat
By themselves, eggs are a great source of protein. Eggs have been shown to contain many vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin A and vitamin D. While some people are cautious of the amount of cholesterol, they can still receive the health benefits of eggs through moderation. And while an omelet (plain) is a healthy breakfast, when cheese and/or meat is added that high-protein breakfast quickly becomes a high-fat one.
Add these veggies instead: green peppers/onions/mushrooms/avocados.
Omelette With Cheese Meat
Eggs Benedict With Hollandaise Sauce
The one good thing about this brunch staple is that it contains protein-rich eggs, which are a great source of selenium and vitamin D. But the benefits of this calorie bomb end there with toppings thanks like ham and high-fat Hollandaise sauce—all served on a buttery English muffin.
Order this instead: scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast or whole grain toast with avocado, smoked salmon, and a poached egg.
Eggs Benedict
Bagel & Cream Cheese
Bagels and carbs go hand in hand, literally. The carbohydrates in a bagel are converted quickly into glucose which speeds up blood sugar levels. And too much glucose can lead to weight gain, or even Type 2 diabetes. And don’t forget about the icing on the cake, or the rich layer of cream cheese smeared on top,
Enjoy this instead: whole wheat bagel or English muffin with avocado/peanut butter/fish/eggs.
Loaded Bagel
Waffles
At home or in restaurants, waffles are a popular, delicious, and fluffy breakfast option. And to be honest, waffles are considered a healthier option compared to other “brekkies.” It’s quite easy to find waffle recipes that don’t include too much sugar.
Enjoy these homemade wholesome homemade instead: Whole Wheat Waffles with Blueberry Ginger Syrup.
Waffles
French Toast
Thick slices of fresh bread, soaked in an egg/milk/cinnamon mixture, toasted (to perfection) in a frying pan, and served warm with butter and maple syrup, lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar– yum! French toast is one of the most indulgent yet unhealthy breakfast dishes, as it’s deep-fried and usually made with white bread that’s filled with empty calories.
Eat this instead: toasted whole wheat and/or multi-grain bread drizzled with honey and cinnamon.
French Toast
Buttermilk Scones
Okay besides buttermilk scone’s lacking in nutritional value, just the name of this breakfast treat contains unhealthy ingredients — butter + whole milk + scones (bread/cake). This delectable, buttery, flaky snack is comprised of refined carbs, yeast, and (one too) many tablespoons of butter.
Use these butter alternatives instead: almond butter/applesauce/bananas/oil.
Buttermilk Scones1
Toaster Pastries
An undeniable quick, simple, on the go, unhealthy breakfast option. Sorry, but it’s the truth. Toaster pastries are high in sugar, high in refined carbs, and low in protein, which may increase hunger and food consumption. Also, the Pop Tart’s infamous health claim aid “baked with real fruit” is less accurate than you think, as the fruit filling contains little (to any) real fruit.
Get your sweet fix with this: Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastries
Pop Tarts
Cheese Blintzes
Cheese blintzes tempt your taste buds for a (very) good reason—they’re jam-packed with sugar, fat, and empty calories! And don’t let that ‘fruit’ topping fool you. Often, that beautifully drizzled berry topping includes added sugar and food coloring. More like a breakfast than desert.
What to order instead: a side of cottage cheese topped with fresh berries.
Cheese Blintzes
White Bread
White bread is one of the worst and most unhealthy things you can eat in the morning. It has very little nutrition value and is filled with yeast that can give you a bloated feeling. Plus, eating white bread will only make you hungrier later.
Eat this instead: whole-wheat/multi-grain/rye bread.
White Bread
Biscuits & Gravy
Most of the biscuits and gravy served by restaurants are pre-packaged and processed, making this breakfast a mother-load of calories without much nutritional value. Just to get a better understanding: one biscuit (with gravy) will set you back around 680 calories and nearly 32 grams of fat. Eat at your own risk.
What to order instead: a whole grain English muffin with jam.
Biscuts And Gravy
Cinnamon Rolls
Sadly these cinnamon swirled finger-licking sweet treats contain 800+ calories! Can you believe it? Well considering these rolls of deliciousness include white flour, sugar, and butter, it’s pretty inevitable that their caloric count is high.
What to order instead: a piece of whole-wheat toast with fruit preserves.
Cinnamon Rolls
Instant Noodles
One of the most frustrating ways to wake up from a deep sleep is from a growling belly. So to fill this growling belly of yours, you quickly run downstairs and grab whatever is quick and easy to make. And what’s easier or faster then making a bowl of instant noodles? Honestly not much. However, this super salty snack has a copious amount of empty calories. To put it simply, it’s just not the best or healthiest breakfast choice.
Instead eat this: a mouth-watering piece of wholesome fruit or fresh organic veggies.
Instant Noodles
Nothing
Sadly we are living in the ‘on the go’ generation and this means that fewer and fewer people are actually eating breakfast. Breakfast comes from the phrase ‘breaking your fast’ and that is pretty important to keep in mind. For the eight hours prior to your breakfast you had been fasting. Don’t start your day off with an empty stomach, it’ll ruin your metabolism and kill your diet.
What we suggest: start your day right and end your day strong by eating a well-balanced breakfast!
Nothing
