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Potential Pitfalls
In a hurry, not hungry, or no food in the house. You may feel fine for a couple hours, but you're likely to have an energy slump or overeat later in the day. |
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Keep a supply of grab-and-go breakfast items, such as granola bars, yogurt, fruit, and instant cereal cups at home or work.
If you're not crazy about breakfast foods, try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a cup of soup, or leftovers from the night before.
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Potential Pitfalls
Fast, convenient and you can eat with one hand! Unfortunately, most drive-thru breakfasts have more fat and calories than you need and not much nutrition.
The Deluxe Breakfast at the golden arches has 1220 calories and 60 grams of fat. That's half the daily calorie requirement and 90% of the fat limit for most people.
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Check out the nutrition information on the web site of your favorite fast food stop. Look for breakfast items under 500 calories and with less than 6 grams of saturated fat.
An Egg McMuffin makes the cut with 290 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat. Order an orange juice for a healthy dose of vitamin C.
Steer clear of items labeled big, super, or deluxe unless you're a lumberjack and will burn those calories before lunch.
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Potential Pitfalls
In the "old days" this meant a cup of coffee and a donut or sweet roll for under a buck. Now the combinations are endless and pricier.
Black coffee has few calories, but whole milk and a couple teaspoons of sugar add 100 calories. That's minor though compared to the 400 calories in a Grande Caffe Mocha Espresso!
A large muffin, pastry or bagel can easily top 500 calories without providing much nutrition.
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Use low or not-fat milk in your coffee and skip the whipped cream on those fancy coffee drinks. If you use more than a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee, consider reducing the amount.
Choose reasonably-sized pastries and use low-fat spreads like jelly and low-fat cream cheese, instead of butter. If you end up with a monster muffin or a bagel the size of a Frisbee, save half for a mid-morning snack.
Add some fruit or juice for important vitamins.
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Potential Pitfalls
If cold cereal and the newspaper are your daily breakfast routine, you're doing better than most.
Cereal is a good source of fiber and milk is an important source of calcium and vitamin D. However, if your cereal is multi-colored and in the shape of cartoon characters, you can do better!
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Choose whole-grain cereals with little added sugar or fat. One or two cups should fill you up. Don't mindlessly eat half the box, because you're engrossed in the sports section.
Low or non-fat milk are the best choices. Add banana, raisins, blueberries or other fruit for a nutrition boost.
Try hot cereals like oatmeal for variety, especially on a cold day.
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Potential Pitfalls
Hot cereals are a great breakfast choice... lots of heart healthy fiber, low in calories and fat, and very filling.
Just don't use a lot of butter, cream or sugar as toppings.
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Here's a great chance to boost your fruit consumption. Top your hot cereal with diced fresh apple, blueberries, raisins, dried cranberries or dried apricots. Almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds add important nutrients.
A bit of maple syrup adds more flavor than table sugar. Add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.
No time to make hot cereal? It takes less than 5 minutes in the microwave and even less if you use instant cereals. If you don't have time to eat before you leave the house, bring an instant cereal cup to microwave at work.
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Potential Pitfalls
Toast, bagels, English muffins and toaster waffles are all good choices.
If you're still eating Wonder Bread and Pop Tarts, it's time for some more grown-up choices
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Choose whole-grain breads (whole-wheat or multi-grain). If you like the taste of butter, use some. Just make it a thin layer... no butter ponds in the center of your toast!
100% fruit spreads are tasty and nutritious and reduce the need for butter. Peanut butter and low-fat cream cheese stick with you, so you'll feel fuller longer.
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Potential Pitfalls
Unless you're going to spend the day working in the fields this is too many calories and the saturated fat is a killer (literally!).
You can eat like this once in awhile, but you're asking for trouble if this is your daily routine.
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Limit eggs to a couple times per week. Try a low- fat or soy breakfast meat. Fake bacon is strange, but soy sausage tastes like the real thing.
Skip the fried potatoes and have some whole- grain toast instead. Add some fresh fruit or fruit juice.
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Potential Pitfalls
By definition Brunch is a combination of late breakfast and early lunch, so it's OK for it to have more calories than your typical breakfast.
Plus what you eat for breakfast now and then isn't nearly as important as what you eat most days.
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My son knows it's a special day when I drag the waffle iron out from the back of the cupboard. The only problem is that homemade waffles are so good, it's tempting to eat more than we should. Don't eat until you're stuffed or you'll feel like napping instead of enjoying your Sunday.
Be careful not to add a lot of fat to your brunch foods. Limit butter on waffles, pancakes or pastries to 1 tsp or better yet, top with fresh fruit or fruit spread.
Cook eggs in as little fat as possible and choose a low-fat or soy breakfast sausage.
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Potential Pitfalls
Seems like people fall into two categories... those who think eating leftovers for breakfast is revolting and those who can't wait to dig into a cold slice of pizza or a container of Chinese food (leftover Indian food is my personal favorite).
On one hand having leftovers for breakfast is a good sign. It means you didn't eat the whole thing for dinner! However, if your dinner choices aren't very good, then eating the same foods again for breakfast isn't a great thing. Don't go for the 2-for-1 pizza deal, just so you can eat one for dinner and one for breakfast!
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Many cultures eat pretty much the same foods for breakfast as they do for other meals. However, it's typically some combination of grains and beans, not fettuccini Alfredo or spare ribs.
The bottom line is that if you make good dinner choices, then having the leftovers for breakfast is fine. Otherwise, stick to a bowl of cereal of some whole-wheat toast.
Just a note on food safety... get leftovers into the fridge as soon as possible and don't keep them for more than a day or two. If you've never had food poisoning, just imagine the worst flu you've ever had, then double it!
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