Which Foods Should We Avoid at Breakfast?
It’s beneficial to avoid some food groups at breakfast. This is mainly due to their poor nutritional quality; they’re full of empty calories and don’t provide the essential nutrients for the body.
In this article, we’ll show you which products can be harmful if eaten regularly. Remember that breakfast should contain fresh foods, high in nutritional density. It should also contain the essential macronutrients in the correct proportions.
Avoiding over-processed items at breakfast is key
Over-processed items usually contain high levels of added sugars, trans fats, and additives. If consumed regularly, they can have a negative effect on your health. For example, according to a study published in BMJ magazine, eating this kind of food regularly is directly linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Consuming these products can also affect other areas such as insulin resistance, which is closely related to diabetes. So, removing over-processed items from your general diet, including breakfast, can help to prevent metabolic syndrome from appearing.
It’s important to remember that complex illnesses are classed as chronic and irreversible, and t he best method that we have of fighting against these is prevention. Diet plays an important role in life, along with regular exercise. Out of all of the over-processed foods that you should avoid at breakfast, we’ve highlighted the following:
Processed baked goods: foods to avoid at breakfast
These baked products are known to contain high levels of refined sugar, making them very appetising. Carbohydrates with high glycemic levels have harmful effects on general health.
For that reason, you shouldn’t eat more than a specific amount of these, because they can contribute to developing medium-term diseases. Sugar has the power to speed up metabolic or blood-related illnesses at an especially worrying rate.
Cured meats
As a general rule cured meats are usually of poor quality because they’re packed with additives that can be harmful. You shouldn’t consume these regularly, with the exception of some lean meats such as serrano ham or turkey breast. The worst cured meats are:
- Chorizo
- Salchichón (Iberian spicy sausage)
- Mortadella
- York ham
You can substitute these non-recommended foods with cheese. Lactose offers a superior nutritional quality, hasn’t been linked to an increased rate of diseases, and has proteins and fats in its composition that are essential for healthy bodily functions.
Foods to avoid at breakfast: chocolate milk
It’s very common to offer some type of drink made with soluble cocoa powder at breakfast, especially to children. But, a lot of these drinks contain a high level of sugar.
In fact, it’s an ingredient that can represent up to 80 percent of the total product, sometimes even more, which is why these drinks don’t fit the framework for a healthy diet and shouldn’t be included at breakfast.
It’s possible to introduce fat-free varieties that don’t contain added sugars instead. These drinks have a significant amount of flavonoids that are beneficial for the human body.
For adults, the best hot drink options other than chocolate are coffee and tea, although it’s best to drink them without sweeteners. Both drinks contain phytonutrients in their compositions.
Foods you should avoid at breakfast
In order to maintain a balanced diet, it’s necessary to pay attention to every meal, and breakfast is no exception. We recommend that you follow this advice and reduce your consumption of over-processed items in order to improve your overall health and prevent medium-to-long term illnesses.
Remember that a healthy breakfast should contain fresh ingredients, and fruits and vegetables are the most recommended; those that offer proteins and a ration of good quality carbohydrates. Try to avoid refined sugars and trans fats. These ingredients are known to be harmful.
Overall, don’t forget to drink water at breakfast to ensure you maintain a good level of hydration. If you choose to drink something else, avoid drinks made of soluble chocolate power with added sugar.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Srour B., Fezeu LK., Kesse Guyot E., et al., Ultra processed food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study. BMJ, 2019.
- Jensen T., Abdelmalek MF., Sullivan S., Nadeau KJ., et al., Fructose and sugar: a major mediator of non alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Hepatol, 2018. 68 (5): 1063-1075.
