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A
first step to a healthier diet is a good breakfast
Oct. 26, 2006
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
A
lot of us sleepwalk through breakfast each morning.
We don’t have a lot of time to think about what to eat.
We may not even take the time to eat anything before rushing
out the door.
Instead, we coast up to a fast-food drive-through window,
or we wait until we’re settled in at the office and
hit the company café or snack machine. As a result,
the breakfast menu for many people consists of muffins, donuts
and giant cookies, egg and cheese biscuits, soft drinks and
lattes.
It may feel more like a snack than a meal, but what you eat
for breakfast adds up. In fact, you may not realize how much
what you eat in the morning affects the overall quality of
your diet each day. For example:
* One McDonald’s Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit totals
440 calories, 13 grams of bad fat (saturated plus trans fat),
nearly a day’s recommended limit of sodium and cholesterol,
and only one gram of fiber.
* One Starbuck’s Banana Walnut Muffin contains 460 calories
and 5 grams of bad fat. Wash that down with a caramel macchiato
and add another 310 calories and 7 grams of bad fat.
* An Original Glazed Krispy Kreme donut contains 200 calories,
7 grams of bad fat and no fiber. Would you stop at one?
* One Bruegger’s Cinnamon Raisin bagel contains 330
calories, no bad fat and 4 grams of fiber. But add one standard
scoop of cream cheese, and you’ll raise the calories
by another 130 and add 7 grams of bad fat.
For anyone looking to improve their diet, breakfast offers
a prime opportunity.
The first step is to overcome some of the barriers to breakfast
that make a fast food sandwich more convenient than a bowl
of cereal at home. Take into consideration:
* Your time. It’s short in the morning, so get your
breakfast set up the night before. Set out a bowl, a spoon
and a box of cereal. Or pack it the night before so you can
grab and go out the door. One cup of Cheerios with skim milk
totals less than 200 calories, with no bad fat and 4 grams
of fiber. Ditto for two slices of whole wheat toast with apple
butter.
* Appealing choices. Keep a variety of portable, healthful
breakfast foods on hand. Some are obvious, but if you don’t
have them in the refrigerator, you can’t take them to
work with you: nonfat, flavored yogurt, fruit salad, and Amy’s
brand frozen breakfast burritos you can heat in the microwave.
Make your own muffins and quick breads with whole grain flour
and liquid vegetable oil. Keep them in the freezer and take
out one at a time as you need them. Don’t forget leftovers
– baked beans and day-old pasta are good anytime. Keep
several types of fresh fruit on hand, as well as instant hot
cereal cups – just add hot water and stir.
For convenience, consider keeping a small refrigerator in
your office filled with bottled water and a few extra cups
of yogurt or whole grain muffins. Keep a supply of disposable
spoons and forks in a desk drawer.
Eating breakfast out is a habit that isn’t hard to break.
You just have to make eating home-brought food as easy as
it is to buy it. You can do it, and you should. You’ll
improve your health and you’ll save money. You may even
find that, in the end, you save time too.
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