Experts Revealed The Worst Foods To Eat For Breakfast

Unfortunately, not all oats are created equally. So the next time you reach for instant oatmeal, be sure to check the label. For instance, a portion of Quaker Foods' original instant oatmeal contains just 100 calories and no sugar. Great! But a pack of the maple and brown sugar flavor piles on 160 calories and more than 10 grams of sugar. Not so great.

Granola is normally made up of oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Delicious, right? Well, yes – but dietician Maggie Moon told Women’s Health in April 2019, “The most common pitfall with granola is adding in too many filler ingredients that add sugar and calories without any positive nutrients.” The best thing to do, then, is to read the ingredients list on the box and opt for brands that don’t add sugars.

Fat is something we are usually programmed to avoid. However, it's actually great for helping to keep you full up. Why? Well, because it takes longer for your body to process than carbohydrates. Non-fat yogurt is also often loaded with sweetener or sugar to make up for its lack of fat. In fact, flavored non-fat yogurts can sometimes have more sugar than ice cream of a comparable serving size.

The problem with pancakes is that they are usually made with refined grains of wheat flour. And refined grains have been identified by researchers as contributing factors to health problems such as obesity and insulin resistance. Topping them with sugary syrups provides a second big reason why pancakes are not the ideal way to start your day — even if they are delicious.

Over recent years, the emergence of cereal bars on store shelves has provided a seemingly new and popular healthy breakfast option. The problem is that many cereal bars are actually packed full of sugar. They also only contain a little protein, so eating a cereal bar is not much different from eating a candy bar — from a nutritional perspective.

Another well-loved breakfast or morning-food option is the iconic blueberry muffin. This American institution is, sadly, another poor choice for a nutritious morning snack. After all, there are very few actual blueberries in a blueberry muffin most of the time. You normally get sugary "imitation blueberry pieces" instead.

What options should you go for when looking for a healthy breakfast drink? Well, you can probably strike concentrated orange juice off the list. Concentrated orange juice, having been heavily processed, loses a lot of the nutrients found in fresh orange juice. The high quantity of fructose also spells disaster in terms of contributing to spikes in blood sugar levels.

Smoothies — while delicious — are high in free sugars that are released from fruit that has been blended. So, the reality is that most smoothies contain a lot of sugar and not a lot of protein. It turns out that drinking them on their own really is a poor breakfast-time option.

“If you go for particularly sugary cereals it can raise levels of glucose in the bloodstream, which may result in a short burst of energy but this will only last for a short period of time, leaving you feeling more sluggish later on,” Pippa Campbell, a coach focusing on nutrition and weight loss told Cosmopolitan in February 2018.

Fried eggs, fried sausages, fried bacon, and fried bread are all great — but not all in the same meal. The fact that everything is cooked in copious amounts of oil is clearly not a good sign, and it can have serious repercussions for your heart if eaten too regularly. The best advice is to only go for this option on rare occasions if you want to guarantee better health.

Full-fat yogurt is packed with the good stuff: protein, calcium, B vitamins, and loads of minerals. It also contains probiotics that can aid digestion and top up your immune system. But be wary of yogurts with fruit mixers inside. These unhelpful additions will often super-size the amount of sugar and calories in an otherwise healthy snack. If you want to sweeten the snack, simply add fruit yourself.

Deli meats are likely to contain plenty of saturated fats and sodium. Why does this matter? “Too much sodium stiffens our blood vessels and stresses our heart and kidneys,” dietician Sam Teece told EatingWell in July 2020. And a surplus of saturated fats could result in more chances of getting heart problems.

WW, Jenny Craig, Medifast, and Nutrisystem offer their followers ready-made or frozen meals to enjoy at home. Yet the concern for some is the amount of sodium contained in each meal. For example, Good Housekeeping reported that some frozen dinners can pack in more than 600mg of sodium per portion. That's a decent chunk of someone's recommended daily 2,300mg allowance.

Research has indicated that drinks spiked with artificial sweeteners could also lead to peaks in blood sugar levels. Diet sodas may contribute to weight gain as well. So while these studies are far from conclusive, it’s still better to ditch the soda altogether — in favor of good old H2O.

Some kinds of margarine contain more trans fats than butter. This is bad news because trans fats aren't good for your heart — and they can raise your cholesterol levels. On top of that, Harvard Health reckons that there are no studies proving that eating margarine will prevent heart disease, as some once believed.

These often caffeine-laden drinks can adversely affect the cardiovascular health and blood pressures of regular consumers — especially younger buyers. The beverages could cause sleep and digestive issues as well. And, on top of this, just one can of the stuff may contain more than 60 grams of added sugar.

Bread is a popular option in the morning because it's cheap, tasty, and seems to fill you up pretty well. However, white bread is a poor choice over the brown or wholemeal varieties. “A fiber-rich diet helps to maintain bowel integrity and can also aid in reducing bad cholesterol,” nutrition coach Campbell told Cosmopolitan.

Avocados are pretty fatty foods — and while they mostly contain "good" fats, they can still be very calorific. "A serving of avocado is one-third of a medium avocado," nutritionist Kylie Arrindell told Houston Methodist. "So to get those healthy fats without overdoing it, I recommend limiting the amount of avocado you put on your toast to two servings or less."

Who doesn’t love bananas? Not only are they sweet and delicious, but they also provide a whole host of health-boosting benefits. This includes plenty of minerals, fiber, vitamins, and carbohydrates. But most banana bread will contain flour, sugar, and butter or oil — making them a not-so-healthy snack. And if your chosen variety doesn’t contain whole wheat flour or nuts, then its nutritional value is likely to be minimal.

Turkey bacon is lower in saturated fats and calories when compared to pork. But that doesn’t mean it's healthy. As the Cleveland Clinic has pointed out, turkey bacon remains a food that’s packed with both sodium and saturated fats. It also doesn’t contain as much protein, vitamin B, or selenium as the pork variety. So whichever option you choose, you should try to consume it sparingly.

These moreish snacks should only be eaten in small amounts. That’s because trail mix ingredients are low-volume yet high-calorie foods. Scoff more than a handful, then, and your daily calorie-based goals will likely be ruined. Plus, those varieties that include chocolate, yogurt coatings, or any kind of added sugars will transform a healthy snack into, essentially, candy.

This snack sounds like a home run. But that yogurt covering? Not so healthy. Yale University’s David Katz told Time, “While these coatings may be called ‘yogurt,’ they are really a kind of ‘frosting’ of which yogurt is an ingredient.” In reality, then, what you’re eating is a few raisins doused in oil and sugar.

People have turned to sugar substitutes such as agave nectar in the belief that this “superfood” — as some have termed it — is better for our bodies. However, studies haven’t conclusively demonstrated that agave nectar is any healthier than straight-up sugar. In fact, it’s still what’s termed a free sugar, and there are actually more calories per teaspoon in agave when compared to sugar.

It can seem tempting to seek out milk without all the fat content, but in reality, milk without the fat can also be missing essential vitamins. The key? Check the label, of course! At the very least, you'll want to purchase and consume milk that has been fortified.

Many people will go for a wrap instead of a sandwich because it seems like less bread. But that's only part of the story; it all depends on what's wrapped inside the bread. If you're packing salty meats and extra servings of condiments into a wrap, they're really not healthier at all.

Why just eat one piece of fruit when you can eat all of your favorites in one bowl? In theory, that could be a good thing. But, in reality, store-bought fruit salad is often packaged in a sweetened syrup that is chock-full of sugar. This completely eliminates the health perks of real fruit. Try making it yourself instead.

All on their own, beans are pretty nutritious. After all, they're packed with natural protein! However, protein means nothing in the face of all the added sugar and sodium that comes with some canned baked beans. The good news is that this tasty treat is easy to make healthy at home.

When saturated fat was declared bad in the worldwide press, manufacturers raced to rid their products of any trace of it. However, without that fat, food often ended up lacking flavor. How did companies fix this conundrum? In many cases, by adding sugar and artificial sweeteners — which can be even worse than fat. Remember: fat in moderation is necessary for a balanced diet.

Just because a product is organic or gluten-free doesn't mean it's actually healthy. Yes, organic and gluten-free foods can still contain high levels of oil, sugar, and refined grains. Read the labels, folks! Or, if you want a healthier snack, try a couple of carrot sticks.

This popular snack among dieters isn't as innocent as it seems. These carb-rich crackers lack fiber and protein, so you may be tempted to eat a lot of them without getting much nutritional benefit. Rather than eating rice crackers, then, you'd perhaps be better off finding a more nutrient-rich and filling snack.

These savory snacks are often advertised as a healthy way to satisfy hunger — mostly because they only contain 1 gram of fat. However, that's not the whole story. After all, pretzels are refined carbohydrates — which basically means more sugar.

Many brands claim that their products can act as meal replacements — which can be very misleading to consumers. Protein bars, for example, will hardly keep people full for very long. And there are also many artificial additives and hidden sugars added to many types of bars.

Smearing crackers with peanut butter is a common snack — but those who use low-fat peanut butter aren't eating healthier than their full-fat-favoring brothers and sisters. Why? Because, you guessed it, sugar is often added to make up for the lack of fat, and that's a huge no-no.

Those who don't eat meat but still want to enjoy burgers and hot dogs will often settle for "meat" substitutes. These could be made out of veggies or pea protein or soy protein... but other pesky ingredients like canola oil and xanthan gum tend to creep in. As always, then, check the label before deciding what food to put in your mouth.

This dried-out meaty snack likes to parade around as a healthy source of protein. Yet while beef jerky may offer protein to a consumer, the preservation process it goes through includes a lot of salt. This can lead to bloating and water retention — as well as other health effects.

Many of the vitamins found in salads actually need a bit of fat so that the body can fully absorb them. So fat-free dressings can strip us of the opportunity to break down many of the nutrients in the vegetables — and therefore make our "healthy" salad options a little less guilt-free.

People trying to avoid olive oil usually turn to this popular alternative — but the truth is it's really not any better. The oil is still full of saturated fat. So if you're using coconut oil for anything other than adding coconut flavor to your meals, many nutritionists recommend sticking to olive or avocado oil.

At first glance, acai bowls look like they're teeming with healthy stuff. But while the foundation might be nutritious, acai bowls are often loaded up with high-calorie and high-sugar foods such as granola and fruit. So you'll need to carefully consider the contents before chowing down.

You knew Mickey D’s would make an appearance eventually. Former employee Pandas_panic recalled that they would “make a few trays [of bacon] at breakfast. Maybe one or two more at lunch, and that’s it for the day.” Translation: any bacon you get after the early hours has been sitting there for hours. Oh, and it's probably not the most nutritious way to start your day, either.