Breakfast is supposed to help you start the day feeling fueled and ready to go, but not every convenient morning meal delivers. Some popular breakfast choices are loaded with refined carbohydrates, added sugar, sodium, or heavy fats that can leave you hungry again surprisingly quickly or simply feeling weighed down.
That doesn’t mean you can never enjoy a doughnut or breakfast sandwich again. But if you’re regularly dealing with a mid-morning energy slump or reaching for another snack an hour after breakfast, it may be worth taking a closer look at what you’re eating first thing in the morning.
Here are nine common breakfast choices that might not be doing your morning any favors.
Sugary Breakfast Cereals
Many breakfast cereals, particularly heavily sweetened varieties, contain plenty of added sugar without much protein or fiber to make the meal more satisfying. You may feel energized immediately after eating, only to find yourself hungry and searching for another snack well before lunchtime.
Doughnuts and Pastries
Doughnuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and other pastries are convenient when you’re rushing out the door, but they’re often made primarily from refined flour, sugar, and fat. Enjoying one occasionally is one thing, but relying on pastries for breakfast can leave you without the protein and fiber that help make a morning meal more filling.
Fried Breakfast Foods
Hash browns, fried breakfast sandwiches, and other greasy morning favorites can make for a particularly heavy start to the day. Large portions of fried foods may leave you feeling overly full or sluggish, so consider balancing them with lighter foods or saving the biggest fried breakfasts for occasional treats.
Soda and Sugary Energy Drinks
Grabbing a soda or sugary energy drink may provide a quick combination of caffeine and sugar, but it isn’t much of a substitute for an actual breakfast. Starting with water and getting your energy from a balanced meal with coffee or tea if you enjoy caffeine can help you avoid depending entirely on a sweetened drink to get through the morning.
Related: One of the Best Uses for Leftover Coffee Grounds Has Nothing to Do With Coffee
White Bread and Refined Toast
Plain white toast is quick and inexpensive, but refined bread generally contains less fiber than whole-grain alternatives and may not keep you satisfied for very long on its own. Choosing a higher-fiber bread and adding something with protein or healthy fat, such as eggs, nut butter, or avocado, can turn basic toast into a much more substantial breakfast.
Processed Breakfast Meats
Bacon, sausage, and other processed meats are breakfast staples, but they can also contribute significant amounts of sodium and saturated fat to your morning meal. You don’t necessarily have to eliminate them completely, but rotating in less processed protein sources such as eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, beans, or nuts can give you more variety.
Bottled and Store-Bought Smoothies
A smoothie sounds like an automatically healthy breakfast, but some bottled and commercially prepared versions contain substantial amounts of added sugar while offering surprisingly little protein or fiber. Check the nutrition label or make your own with whole fruit, vegetables, an unsweetened liquid, and a source of protein to create something that will actually keep you satisfied.
Fast-Food Breakfasts
A drive-thru breakfast can be a lifesaver on an especially busy morning, but some breakfast sandwiches, biscuits, and burritos pack large amounts of sodium, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fat into a single meal. If fast food is your only practical option, look for simpler choices with eggs, whole grains, fruit, or other ingredients that provide a better balance of protein and fiber.
Candy Bars and Other Sugary Grab-and-Go Snacks
When you’re running late, grabbing a candy bar from the pantry may seem better than leaving home without eating anything. But most candy bars are designed as treats rather than complete meals, so pairing a quick option such as fruit with yogurt, nuts, cheese, or another source of protein will generally make for a more satisfying start.
