It is possible for you to set a good tone for the rest of your day by starting out with a nutritious meal. Skipping breakfast can force you to over eat during your next meals, can keep your mood low throughout the day and leave you feeling uncomfortable for hours. So eat up, but make sure it’s helping and not hurting your fitness program.
Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD and Sports Nutritionist for the Atlanta Hawks says, “If you start your day by eating a meal loaded with sugar, refined white flour and fake fats (anything hydrogenated), you’ll feel sluggish, both mentally and physically. Use breakfast as an opportunity to get nutrients that build your body, keep you energized and help maintain your focus and concentration for hours.”
Here are 7 common breakfast foods that can hurt your fitness efforts.
Cereals high in sugar
Be aware! Many breakfast cereals out there that promise loads of health benefits are packed with sugar. Check out some of the big name brands on your store’s shelves and you’ll see that they have 20 grams or more of sugar in a serving. Listen to this, a serving is usually only 2 cups. Keep an eye on the labels and compare boxes. Look for 10 grams of sugar or less per serving.
Bagels and cream cheese
Depending on how many a week you eat, the bagel alone doesn’t have to be bad for you. However, slap some cream cheese on it and that changes the whole story as it’s loaded with fat and calories and is usually high in sodium. As substitutes try smashing avocado on your bagel, or try hummus, peanut butter or plain Greek yogurt.
Scones
Convenient and tasty, scones are typically made with heavy butter and cream which makes it high in calories. Furthermore, scones with fruit have more calories and are still high in saturated fat. Not good if you’re concerned about cholesterol.
Fast food breakfast sandwiches
Croissants, bacon, cheese, muffins, are common foods that make up this category. They are loaded with extra calories, saturated fat and sodium. If you must grab a breakfast meal on the run, see if you can create your own sandwich at the restaurant with lean meat on grainy bread and keep the bacon consumption to a minimum. Ideally, it’s better to make your own breakfast at home.
Croissants
Especially if your goal is to lose weight or lean up, leave the croissants off of the breakfast table. It’s hard to believe that these light weight looking things are around 300 calories or more, but they are. They are packed with sugar, salt and butter.
Muffins
Muffins come with plenty of calories and are high in saturated fats. There are low fat and fruity versions, but that won’t make a difference.
Doughnuts
Doughnuts are among the worst foods to put in your mouth especially first thing in the morning. They’re loaded with sugar, they’re fried and they’re loaded with about 300 calories. A doughnut a day will definitely only set your energy level up for a crash and will kill and bury your work in the gym.
Variations of this content is published on MENSFITNESS.com and HUMANFITPROJECT.com
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