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Change Your Breakfast – Change Your Weight

By Expert HERWriter
 
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want to change your weight? change your breakfast Auremar/PhotoSpin

It's time to start the New Year off right. Many across the world are making their resolutions to get healthier and lose weight, especially in light of the post-holiday food feeding frenzy. Admit it. It is time to hit that "do-over" button and start this January off with better choices.

As breakfast is the most important meal of the day, let’s start there. Here are a list of five foods you should not eat for breakfast despite what you might have been told.

1) Yogurt

Sorry ladies, yogurt is not as healthy as one might think. It may contain probiotics, it may be full of calcium and protein. But it is also full of sugar, especially those that are flavored, already topped with fruit or fruit syrup, or “light.”

Read the label. Does it say the yogurt has more than 10 grams of sugar in it? That is too much, and could be contributing to weight gain and mid-morning sugar crashes.

2) Granola

Mix it with yogurt or top it with milk, and you are setting up your weight loss efforts for failure. First, read the label and see what an actual serving size is. Then measure it out. Second, look at the carbohydrate content, and finally the sugar content.

Now add this to your yogurt, or the amount of sugar in your milk, and determine if this is really helping your health and weight loss efforts.

3) Bagels

Bagels are very high in carbohydrates, especially when topped with peanut butter, lox, or cream cheese, and offer nothing in the way of nutritional value. Time to skip the morning bagel for something much healthier.

4) Smoothies

Let’s clarify what a healthy smoothie should not include. It should not contain yogurt (see above) or juice (read the sugar content). A smoothie should not just contain fruit.

A healthy, well balanced smoothie should have some healthy vegetables such as kale or spinach, perhaps a small amount of fruit for taste, and good oils such as avocado or coconut oil. Maybe consider some fiber in the way of ground flax or chia seeds, and protein via a nut butter or low-sugar protein powder.

Blend up with plenty of ice (depending on your thickness preference) and unsweetened milk alternative, milk, or water.

5) High-carbohydrate meals

Think cereal, frozen waffles, toast, oatmeal, breakfast bars or pastries. In general, women will do better to avoid a high-carbohydrate meal first thing in the morning. Eating lower carbohydrate choices does not mean you should zero carbs. If your typical breakfast looks like one of these choices and weight loss is a problem, then it is time to re-think the morning meal.

Remember, if what you are doing is not working, then it is time to change. Consider doing a proper smoothie in the morning, eggs, chicken sausage, turkey bacon, leftovers, or a good quality protein bar.

Be aware of how you take your coffee and how many coffee drinks you have during the day. The same goes for soda, as these beverages can sabotage even the best of dietary intentions.

Reward a job well done or good work-out with protein, not comfort food or dessert. And consider taking a more anti-inflammatory approach by eliminating the top inflammatory foods such as gluten and dairy for 30 days and see how you feel.

This is the New Year and if you are looking for a New You, then change has to occur.

Sources:

10 Tips for a Healthy Breakfast
About.com. Web Jan. 12, 2014.
http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/qt/betterbreakfast.htm

Going gluten-free just because? Here’s what you need to know. Harvard Health Blog. Web Jan. 12, 2014.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/going-gluten-free-just-because-heres-what-you-need-to-know-201302205916

Reviewed January 13, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

Add a Comment4 Comments

Fruit tends to carry a lot of sugar, less fruit with some greens is great and energizing! Plain yogurt, if low in sugar - don't be fooled, can be a good addition to make it creamy. Stevia is a good sweetener. Its made from the stevia plant.
I use Dannon Light, the only kind of yogurt that I have found with only 4-7 grams of sugar per serving.

January 21, 2014 - 7:55pm
Blogger

good points but not sure I agree that a smoothie shouldn't contain just fruit. a perfectly healthy smoothie can contain fruit with plain yogurt, almond milk and some ground flaxseed for example. of course adding greens is always a nice thing. :)

January 17, 2014 - 12:35pm

Makes absolute sense to me. The food industry is very good at marketing to us about supposedly healthy food. In my experience there is no substitute for cutting out carbs and sugar. Even if you can only manage it for a couple of weeks. After that it is exercise, exercise, exercise. A lot of us have very sedentary lifestyles. Take a close look at yours and consider that the body you have is the only one you are going to get. A friend of mine recently joined a conditioning center, more like a health fitness club rather than a gym. You can see her inspirational story here http://www.thedvcc.com/?s=sonya+blake

January 17, 2014 - 2:39am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

what about PLAIN yogurt? say, with fresh berries? or added to a smoothie. article makes it sound like plain yogurt is too sugary.

January 16, 2014 - 12:26pm
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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