Loading Up on Sugar-Packed Cereals
Starting your morning with a bowl of frosted flakes might taste amazing, but it’s basically eating dessert for breakfast. Many of these cereals have 10 to 14 grams of “added sugar” per serving, and some will have more. That’s like dumping roughly three teaspoons of sugar straight into your mouth first thing in the morning.
Breakfast cereals made with refined grains and sugars have a high glycemic index, which means it can cause a sharp spike in your post-meal blood sugar levels. After the initial rush, you’ll crash harder than a broken laptop, leaving you craving more sugar by mid-morning. High-glycemic, simple carbohydrate foods like sweet cereal result in higher blood lipid levels, increased hunger and greater amounts of release of insulin. These are all factors for the development of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Skipping Breakfast Entirely
Those who skipped breakfast reported just under one additional day of reduced productivity per month and slightly poorer social and occupational functioning. Think about that – you’re literally sabotaging your own success by walking out the door on empty. Your brain needs fuel to function, and when you deny it that fuel, everything becomes harder.
Studies suggest that not having breakfast affects your mental performance, including your attention, ability to concentrate and memory. This can make some tasks feel harder than they normally would. It’s like trying to drive a car without gas and wondering why you can’t get anywhere. Individuals who skipped breakfast tended to be slightly more impulsive, particularly in terms of attentional control and self-control. They also reported slightly more severe depressive symptoms and marginally higher anxiety symptoms.
Eating Breakfast Too Late in the Day
Plan to eat breakfast within an hour of waking. This way, your breakfast doesn’t blend into a mid-morning snack or grazing followed closely by lunch. When you wait too long to eat, you’re basically extending your overnight fast and putting your body into stress mode.
I recommend consuming something within two hours of waking up regardless of feeling hungry or not. Once you have your first meal, depending on its content and balance, it’s recommended to have each subsequent meal every three to four hours to prevent dips in blood sugar levels. Your metabolism works best when it knows what to expect, not when you’re randomly throwing food at it whenever you remember to eat.
Choosing All Carbs, No Protein
A piece of white toast or a plain bagel might seem like a quick breakfast solution, but you’re setting yourself up for an energy crash before your first coffee break. A protein-rich breakfast with skyr (a sour-milk product) and oats increased satiety and concentration in the participants.
Eat a breakfast that includes protein so that you can stay energized through lunchtime. Without protein, your breakfast becomes nothing more than expensive sugar that leaves you hungrier than when you started. Protein-rich foods have generally been shown to have an increased satiety effect compared to carbohydrate-rich and high-fat foods with the same calorie content.
The difference between eating eggs with toast versus just toast is like the difference between filling your car with premium gas versus water – one actually works.
Falling for “Healthy” Granola Traps
This sounds healthy but isn’t, as it’s high in fat and sugar. An average portion of granola with nuts is 60g, which without milk packs in 270 kcal and 12.3g fat. Just because something has oats and nuts doesn’t automatically make it healthy.
Many granolas are basically candy disguised as health food. Like regular granola, granola with chocolate is rich in fat and sugar, but with chocolate added, which means even more fat and sugar! Granola with chocolate is best enjoyed as an occasional treat. Reading the nutrition label might shock you – some granolas pack more sugar per serving than ice cream.
Drinking Your Breakfast Instead of Eating It
That fancy coffee drink with whipped cream and three pumps of vanilla syrup might taste incredible, but it’s not breakfast. Many people like their coffee with added syrups, sugar, and other ingredients that can add calories without adding much-needed protein or fiber. The caffeine boost may give you an immediate energizing jolt, but it won’t provide all-morning nourishment.
Liquid calories don’t satisfy you the same way solid food does. You’ll find yourself starving an hour later, wondering why that expensive latte didn’t keep you full. Your body needs actual nutrients, not just caffeinated sugar water pretending to be a meal.
Portion Distortion with Oversized Servings
Be aware of portion sizes – consider whether the portion size suggested on the box is the same as the portion size you’re consuming. Many people pour a larger bowl and therefore consume more calories and more carbohydrate. That innocent bowl of cereal might actually be three servings disguised as one.
Most people eyeball their portions and end up eating way more than they realize. This is important if you’re counting calories to control weight, or if you carb count to adjust the correct dose of insulin. Weigh your cereal a couple of times to get an idea of the amount you usually consume. It’s like thinking you’re having one slice of pizza when you’re actually eating half the pie.
Eating Highly Processed Breakfast Foods
Breakfast cereals are highly processed, often packed with added sugar and refined carbs. Their packages regularly have misleading health claims. Pop-Tarts, breakfast bars, and instant breakfast drinks might be convenient, but they’re basically junk food marketed as morning nutrition.
Most breakfast cereals may be loaded with refined carbohydrates, GMOs, preservatives, and additives. Your body quickly breaks down refined carbs, turning them into sugar, leading to blood glucose spikes, energy crashes, and cravings later in the day. When your breakfast comes from a factory instead of nature, your body pays the price.
Ignoring Fiber in Your Morning Meal
McAvoy advises looking for cereals with at least 4 grams of fiber per serving, made from whole grains rather than refined grains. Cereal made with refined grains rather than whole grains will have less fiber. Without fiber, your breakfast might as well be candy for how quickly it’ll spike your blood sugar.
Fiber is what keeps you satisfied and prevents that mid-morning energy crash. Breakfast cereals that pack at least 3 grams of fiber per serving are optimal. Think of fiber as your breakfast’s insurance policy – it slows down sugar absorption and keeps you feeling full until lunch.
Eating While Distracted or Rushing
It’s easy to fall into the habit of rushing through your meals or eating on the go, but you should make it a practice to sit down and take time for meals. You digest your food better and enjoy your meals more — the tastes, textures and smells — when you slow down and focus on what you are eating.
Scarfing down your breakfast while checking emails or running out the door means you’re not really eating – you’re just consuming. Your brain doesn’t register satisfaction when you’re distracted, so you’ll end up feeling like you never ate at all. It’s like watching a movie while scrolling your phone – you miss the whole experience.
Having Inconsistent Breakfast Timing
Keep a consistent eating schedule as much as possible so that your body knows when to expect breakfast, lunch and dinner. If your schedule varies every day, have healthy snacks on hand for times when a meal needs to wait. Your body loves routine more than a dog waiting for dinner.
Irregularity in meals (such as eating at inconsistent times, skipping meals), the frequency of meals (the number of meals), and timing (when you eat) all influence your circadian clock and metabolism. When you eat breakfast at seven one day and eleven the next, you’re confusing your internal systems and making everything work harder than it needs to.
Loading Up on Refined Carbohydrates
Simple or refined carbohydrates include sugars and refined grains that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients, such as white bread, pizza dough, pasta, pastries, white flour, white rice, sweet desserts, and many breakfast cereals. They digest quickly and their high glycemic index causes unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels.
When you eat refined or simple carbs, your bloodstream is flooded with sugar which triggers a surge of insulin to clear the sugar from your blood. All this insulin can leave you feeling hungry soon after a meal, often craving more sugary carbs. This can cause you to overeat, put on weight, and over time lead to insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. It’s like putting your body on a sugar roller coaster that never ends well.
