The first meal of the day is crucial for our body as it not only needs nutrients but is also more capable of absorbing vitamins and minerals. The level of energy you maintain throughout the day is largely dependent on how nutritious your breakfast is. A well-balanced breakfast can keep you satiated and prevent overeating later in the day. However, we often consume foods in our breakfast that may seem healthy but are actually detrimental to our health. In this article, we will discuss 5 foods to avoid in breakfast and suggest healthier alternatives.
5 Foods to Avoid for Breakfast
1. Bread
Bread has become a staple breakfast item in many households. White bread is made with 100% refined flour or maida.
Even if you check the ingredients of brown bread or whole wheat bread, it contains only a small percentage of whole wheat flour but has a significant amount of maida mixed in it. Most multigrain breads also contain maida. These breads also contain refined palm oil, dough conditioners, artificial flavors, and preservatives.
The brown color of brown bread is not because it contains whole wheat but due to the added color in it.
According to justgotochef.com:
Overconsumption of Flour Treatment Agent (INS510) causes acidosis with symptoms like nausea, headaches, insomnia.
Flour Treatment Agent (516), being a calcium supplement may cause bloating, gas and constipation
Improver 1100(i) consumed in large quantities or continuous exposure, this ingredient can cause many side effects ranging from frequent urination, excess thirst or asthma.
If you are a bread lover and care for your health, there are four options.
First, you can bake your own bread. Second, you can find a trustworthy bakery near you that can bake fresh bread for you. Third, there are some better bread options available in the market which are not 100% healthy but you can include them in your diet sometimes. Fourth, you can switch to roti which is a good replacement for commercial bread.
2. Muesli
Muesli has become quite a popular breakfast option these days. People add milk to it and consider it healthy. However, what it contains is maida, two teaspoons of refined sugar in every serving, artificial flavors, colors, bleach, and candied fruits. A reliable parameter to judge any such breakfast cereal is its fiber content.
If you compare it with oats, 100 grams of oats will have over 10 grams of fiber. Even 100 grams of whole wheat flour has 11.1 grams of fiber.
The thing is that the ingredients are added after a lot of processing. It’s time we ditch muesli, corn flakes, granola, and similar products. The best is to buy something which has just one ingredient, unflavored rolled oats or millet flakes.
Add milk to them and customize it to your own liking. Or you can even make your own muesli premix. High in fiber, it will keep you full and energetic for long.
3. Ready-to-Eat Meals
Nowadays, ready-to-eat breakfasts are becoming a rage in urban areas. But be it ready-to-eat upma or poha, you should never buy them. Firstly, because they use ultra-refined grains which is why their fiber content is really low. Worst is that they add palm oil which is more unhealthy than refined oils.
If you eat them somewhere outside, they use the same oil again and again almost turning it black. Today it’s out and open that when oil is reheated, it produces trans fats and acrylamides which become the reason for things like heart blockage, fatty liver, diabetes, and even cancer. So it’s important to limit the intake of deep-fried foods like poori, bhature, and kachori. Preferably make them at home once in a while and never reuse the oil.
4. Nutella
If you like to spread Nutella on bread, roti, parantha, and even dosa then probably it’s time for a reality check. Because Nutella has only 13% hazelnuts with artificial flavor added. 55% of Nutella is plain sugar. After charging a hefty price per kilo they are adding the cheapest oil in the market. Forget it as a breakfast food. Even a sweet dish like rasgulla is healthier than Nutella.
If you really like eating hazelnut spread then there are some brands that are spending more energy on choosing the right ingredients than advertising them. Mixed fruit jam is another food that you should stop eating for breakfast. Maybe for dessert. That’s because 100 grams of it has 15 spoons of sugar. If your kid really loves eating jam, make it at home using desi khaand or thread mishri powder. Once made it can be kept in the refrigerator without preservative for a month. Some brands have now started making healthy jams. You can try them.
5. Deep-Fried Food
For breakfast, when the body is in dire need of nutrition, if we eat deep-fried foods like chholle bhature and kachori then forget nutrition, it will rather make your metabolism very slow. Eating deep-fried stuff is like walking with an extra load. If you see things like bhature and kachori are firstly made with 100% maida and then deep-fried.
When 100 grams of potatoes are deep-fried, calories shoot up by almost four times but more importantly, bad fats get increased by 20 times. So it’s important to limit the intake of deep-fried foods like poori, bhature, and kachori. Preferably make them at home once in a while and never reuse the oil.
Final Thoughts
These were those five foods that people often eat for breakfast but you should either stop eating them or at least stop considering them healthy. Better switch to healthier alternatives. Ideally, for breakfast, you should choose whole grains, nuts, seeds, fresh seasonal fruits, and vegetables, and make authentic recipes according to your own region.
Remember, the key to a healthy start to the day is not just about “oiling the navel” but also about making the right choices for your breakfast. So, make a wise choice and stay healthy!
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