This is why I don't like to eat out.....
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatt...eakfast-foods/
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of eating breakfast. Studies show that people who take time for a morning meal consume fewer calories over the course of the day, have stronger cognitive skills, and are 30 percent less likely to be overweight or obese. Beyond that, people who skip breakfast are more likely to drink alcohol and smoke, and they’re less likely to exercise. But just because breakfast is the most important meal of the day doesn’t grant you permission to go into a feeding frenzy. But that’s exactly what many of the country’s most popular breakfast joints are setting you up for, by peddling fatty scrambles, misguided muffins, and pancakes that look like manhole covers. These foods are loaded with unhealthy fats, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates, which catapult your blood sugar, sap your energy levels, and tell your body to store fat. To help you avoid the morning mishaps, we searched out the good, the bad, and the greasy, and uncovered some of the worst breakfast foods in America. We’ve presented a sampling of the worst offenders below. It’s like a lineup down at the local police station, except in this case, they’re all guilty as charged. Worst Side Dish Burger King Hash Browns (large) 620 calories 40 g fat (11 g saturated; 13 g trans) 1,200 mg sodium 60 g carbs Yes, you’re ingesting more than a meal’s worth of calories from a side dish, but the real cause for concern here is that these little potato cakes pack seven times more trans fats than you’re supposed to eat all day! Until BK learns to cut out the partially hydrogenated oils, avoid encounters with potatoes of any kind at that fatty food joint. Eat This Instead! Burger King Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich 300 calories 17 g fat (6 g saturated; 2 g trans) 740 mg sodium 26 g carbs Worst Breakfast Sandwich Hardee’s Monster Biscuit 710 calories 51 g fat (17 g saturated) 2,250 mg sodium 37 g carbohydrates When they say “Monster,” they mean it. This 700-calorie behemoth should be enough to scare anyone: It contains nearly a full day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat. Instead try the Sunrise Croissant with Bacon. It’s not exactly diet-friendly, but if you’re stuck at Hardee’s, it’s a way to escape without too much damage. Eat This Instead! Hardee’s Sunrise Croissant with Bacon 450 calories 29 g fat (12 g saturated) 900 mg sodium 28 g carbs Worst Kids Meal Denny’s Big Dipper French Toastix with margarine and syrup 770 calories 71 g fat (13 g saturated) 107 g carbs As important as it is for mom and dad to eat a good breakfast each morning, it’s even more critical that their kids do. After all, breakfast affects their energy levels, metabolism, and performance in school. Better think twice before feeding them these dubious little sticks. For more healthy kids’ choices, check out Eat This, Not That! for Kids. Eat This Instead! Kid’s D-Zone Smiley Alien Hotcakes 340 calories 12 g fat (5 g saturated) 49 g carbs Worst Pastry Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll 813 calories 32 g fat (5 g trans fat) 117 g carbs You wouldn’t start your day with three brownies, would you? As far as your body knows, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing if you wake up with this cinnamon-swirled disaster area. In fact, because Cinnabon offers no healthy alternatives, you’ll have to invite friends (or enemies?) to share the risky roll, or steer clear of Cinnabon altogether. Worst Smoothie Smoothie King Grape Expectations II (40 oz.) 1,102 calories 256 g sugars 740 mg sodium Why Smoothie King would even offer a 40 oz. serving size is beyond us. With more than half the calories you need in a day and the sugar equivalent of 12 Haagen Dasz ice cream bars, this “drink” should be renamed "diabetes in a glass." Just goes to show you the importance of drinking responsibly. Drink This Instead! Smoothie King Low Carb Strawberry Smoothie (20 oz.) 268 calories 3 g sugars 176 mg sodium Worst Combo Meal McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast 1,360 calories 64 g fat (22 g saturated) 2,325 mg sodium 160 g carbs 49 g sugars With four vehicles for refined carbohydrates (biscuit, hash browns, hotcakes, syrup), this “deluxe” disaster will send your blood sugar soaring. Why blow nearly an entire day’s calories under the arches, when a perfectly satisfying Egg McMuffin will save you more than 1,000 calories? Eat This Instead! McDonald’s Egg McMuffin with coffee 310 calories 12 g fat (5 g saturated) 820 mg sodium 30 g carbs 3 g sugars Worst Omelet IHOP Big Steak Omelet 1,490 calories (No additional nutrition information available) IHOP doesn’t provide nutritional information aside from calorie counts, but with a boatload of steak, a bucket of cheese, and handfuls of hash browns, this omelet’s fat and sodium numbers are surely just as appalling. Eat This Instead! IHOP For Me Garden Scramble 440 calories The Worst Breakfast in America Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes 1,543 calories 77 g fat (26 g saturated; 9 g trans) 2,259 mg sodium 198 g carbs 109 g sugars It’s not a good sign when it takes you nearly five seconds to spit out the name of your breakfast. This bad boy packs in more than 75 percent of your calories for the day, along with more sugar and fat than nine glazed Dunkin’ Donuts, and nearly as much sodium as five Bloody Marys. Eat This Instead! 3 Scrambled Egg Beaters with 2 slices of bacon and fresh fruit 314 calories 19.5 g fat (5 g saturated) 700 mg sodium 21 g carbs 18 g sugars |
Even the 'eat this instead' foods made me shudder. No wonder we our country has such an extreme weight issue. Those numbers are just crazy!
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Couldn't agree with you more about breakfast! Just this morning I thought I could skip it (ran out of time), when I got to work I was so dizzy and light headed that I had to leave work to get something to eat. I got an egg mcmuffin, which I feel really bad about. I'll be getting up earlier from now on!
Great article and very informative! Thanks! |
I love that book!!
I've gotten so paranoid about eating out that I've only got a few places that I'm willing to go to these days. In a few weeks my fiance is whisking me away to a weekend in the mountains, and I've already asked if I can bring an ice chest with my greek yogurt and berries. lol I've gotten so used to starting the day with it that I really want to stay in my healthy rut. :D |
Holy :censored:. That is just frightening. Talk about a heart attack on a plate. The thing that most shocked me was muffins. I always thought that grabbing a muffin and a coffee was a healthy brekkie. Ha! Those "healthy" muffins were so big that they were three servings per muffin and packed over 700 calories a piece. Yikes!
I think I'll stick with my oatmeal at home, thanyouverymuch. :D |
I understand, JoAnne -- I'm taking a cruise in two weeks and I'm already planning to take along some meal replacement bars, among other things. I've been good 8 weeks, and I don't want a cruise to mess that up!
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my goodnessss..
can you wonder why americans are fat? you are what you eat. we are too busy creating stupid diets and other non sense when in reality we should be fixing the root of the problem. and some people think just because something is "healthy" they can eat how much ever they want. a cookie at subway is still a cookie!! |
The Worst Breakfast in America
Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes 1,543 calories 77 g fat (26 g saturated; 9 g trans) 2,259 mg sodium 198 g carbs 109 g sugars ^^ Hah that sounds like something I would have ordered without a second thought as to how many calories was involved in the process - and of course I would have gone on to eat lunch and dinner - however now that I'm calorie counting, that breakfast right there is pretty much my whole calorie intake for the day. Living in New Zealand, some of the fast food wonders of America have yet to make their way to our shores, but I'm pretty sure we've got the equivalents lurking around somewhere. Eating out is so difficult sometimes. |
Isn't it amazing!! It's a very eye opening post. I thought I knew that things were not healthy - but - gee. No wonder we are struggling with weight and portions and food choice reality.
That's why whenever possible, I check online before going to a restaurant to see if calories are available. That being said...we are still at the 'mercy' of the chef preparing the food the way the calories are counted. If you know what I mean. Thanks for posting this. |
Wow! I'm all for calorie splurges now and again, but not THAT many calories and not on such stuff. I made a cake once that had 500 calories per slice. These items make that cake look like a wise choice! Give me my 365 calorie Nutella crepe any day!
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The Smoothie King smoothie was quite a shocker! I love Smoothie King but get the small and usually the low fat smoothies.
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The sad thing is... is that those foods aren't even that tasty. I prefer a poached egg on toast any day.
In my opinion the only breakfast food splurging on is eggs florentine... and that not even that bad. |
Just yesterday I went into the grocery store and I was tempted to buy a greek yogurt with cherries... then I looked at the calories... 400 calories and 18g of fat! for a yogurt!!!!! My beef stroganoff was less fat and cals than that! I skipped it.
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