Raise your hand if you eat five chocolate chip cookies every morning before work.
It’s probably safe to guess that most of our readers are probably in the I-do-not-typically-eat-cookies-for-breakfast camp. But what if we told you that any time you eat a bowl of your kid’s Super Mario cereal that you probably could have just eaten five chocolate chip cookies instead? Because they are almost nutritionally identical. We know. It sounds crazy. And okay, these phantom cookies are probably small. But still, it’s eye-opening.
We don’t want you to be deceived by your breakfast. It is, after all, the most important meal of the day. But it’s not just that. We only want you to be eating the less-than-healthy stuff when you’ve consciously decided to splurge on a food you love. Not because you didn’t know it wasn’t that good for you.
So below is a little break down of some deceiving breakfast items that are surprisingly comparable to some popular drinks and snacks. Take a look and see if there are any breakfast foods you might prefer to replace!
The Breakfast Breakdown
Don’t eat this now: A handful of your kid’s cereal
If you’d rather have this later: A chocolate chip cookie
As you probably wish you could un-know: 5 cookies = 1 bowl of cereal.
If your handful of cereal is anything like ours, saying it’s equal to one cookie is actually pretty conservative.
Don’t have this now: A glass of orange juice
If you’d rather have this later: A glass of prosecco & a dark chocolate square
The calorie content of an 8-ounce glass of orange juice is about equal to a glass of bubbly & a piece of dark chocolate. But the prosecco/chocolate combo beats out the orange drink with almost five times less sugar – as a small glass of OJ has about 20 grams! So whichever you choose, enjoy in moderation.
Don’t eat this now: A bowl of cereal
If you’d rather have this later: A bowl of ice cream
Here we go with the cereal again. Sigh. Yes, it’s true –many breakfast cereals have the same nutritional value as a bowl of ice cream.
Don’t have this now: A mocha latte
If you’d rather this later: A glass of wine and a wedge of brie
Okay, so no studies done here. This is our own personal assessment on the (very serious) matter of wine and brie. The sugar content alone makes the mocha latte worse for you. But when you go head-to-head with the calories, fat, and fiber content of almost any flavored latte, well, wine and brie win again.
Some quick, healthier (but tasty!) breakfast options
When it comes to breakfast, the name of the game is basically this: be conservative with your sugar (under 20 grams), liberal with your fiber (3+ grams) and protein (6 + grams), and moderate with your healthy fats.
Here are some easy-to-grab-easy-to-eat breakfast ideas. They are low in sugar, high in fiber, and high in protein to help you feel energized and full until lunchtime hits.
Bacon, egg, & cheese on an English muffin
For when you want to pick something up on the way to work. Bonus points if you ditch the bacon.
Whole wheat avocado toast with tomato slices
Easy to make, easy to eat. Top it with some smoked salmon for extra protein.
Hard boiled eggs & microwaved bacon
Hard boil a dozen eggs for the week in advance to make this a particularly easy breakfast to prepare.
Protein overnight oats
Prepare the night before. Or make it even easier on yourself and *cough cough* get them delivered right to your doorstep by us (preassembled!).
Here’s to many mindful, healthy, delicious breakfasts ahead!
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