Breakfast is considered to be one of the most important meals of the day. So, are we having it right? Well, many would say, yes, because they swear by 'healthy' breakfast foods like a bowl of cereal or yogurt. In reality, these 'healthy' breakfast foods are packed with tons of sugar. Something you shouldn't consume much as sugar is known to have harmful effects on metabolism and contribute to all sorts of diseases.
So, here are a few breakfasts which are considered healthy but are not:
Smoothies
Often the healthy looking drink is a favorite breakfast option for many. However, the ingredients of the drink include milk, yogurt, fruit, nuts, seeds, and honey, avocado and/or protein powders. All of those ingredients contain sugars and a large smoothie (600ml or more) can contain a huge amount of sugar, up to 60g or 12 teaspoons of it.
If you love smoothies and still want to remain on the healthy side, choose a smaller size (just 400ml at most) and stick to 3-4 ingredients at the most.
Yogurt and fruits
Fruit yogurts are loaded with sugar. In fact, a single serving of fruit yogurt contains up to 6 teaspoons of sugar. Oopss, you didn't see that coming, did you? And, if someone has extra fresh fruit along with it for breakfast the amount of sugar consumption will go up to 40-50g or 8-10 teaspoons. However, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt is relatively low in sugar. So, if someone wants to have yogurt and fruits for breakfast, he/she can stick to plain or Greek yogurt.
Cereals
If cereals are your favorite breakfast, let's warn you it's not as healthy as you think it to be. Reports have had previously revealed that a shocking amount of sugar is found in everyday cereals such as Frosties, Cheerios, and Cornflakes. In fact, reports showed Kellogg's Frosties contains 11.1g of sugar per 30g serving which is almost three teaspoons of sugar. The 2016 research was conducted by experts from World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) selected 19 products manufactured by Kellogg and Nestle/General Mills, from 29 countries.
Banana Bread
There's nothing healthy about the banana bread. In fact, it so much high in sugar, it can easily be called banana cake. Each slice contains 20-30g or 5-6 teaspoons of sugar and if someone likes to enjoy their banana bread with milk based coffee for breakfast the sugar consumption will go up to 50g or 10 teaspoons of sugar – more than what a person should consume in an entire day.
So the next time you plan to add these items to your breakfast do it mindfully, or one can substitute it with healthy alternatives.
