The best meal of the day is breakfast. We've all heard that saying, and for good reason. Breakfast is our chance to rebuild our body's energy after sleeping for 10 hours and fasting overnight.
Choosing the right breakfast can increase our energy levels, focus and productivity, allowing us to take on the day!
Alternatively, making the wrong choices at breakfast can give us a quick boost, but leave us feeling sluggish by lunch. As a result, we may even be tempted to make more bad food choices throughout the day.
You'll be surprised by some of these, especially number 15 on our list of the 15 worst breakfast foods.
1. Sugary and very refined cereals
Despite the horribly high sugar content of children's cereals in colorful boxes, breakfast cereals marketed as 'healthy' options that are also high in sugar are more dangerous.
We love breakfast cereals. They are easy, healthy and nutritious ways to fill up in the morning, ready to start the day. But only if they are made with whole grains and do not contain added sugar.
Sugar is typically added to puffed rice, honey-coated nuts, and frozen cereals (whether big-name brands or supermarket own-brand equivalents).
You will only be able to maintain energy levels for a very short period of time if you start the day with too much sugar. Our sugary hit will make us hungry very quickly, and we may reach for another unhealthy option soon after it has been digested.
Be sure to check the nutritional values and make sure there are no added sugars. Choose cereals that are made from whole grains and packed with fiber to fill you up until lunchtime. Avoid microwave porridges which can often contain hidden sugary syrups to add flavour. Choose grated whole grains, corn flakes that are not coated in sugar, and traditional oatmeal porridge.
