Eat this, Not that: Breakfast

| July 17, 2010

Keeping your blood sugar levels in check throughout the day helps your body burn the food you eat more efficiently and helps prevent weight gain, and breakfast plays an important role in doing that. A breakfast that is too sugar-laden, though, has an adverse effect, causing your blood-sugar levels to go into a cycle of dropping and spiking. The problem is most quick breakfasts from truckstops and grocery stores are basically desserts. But there are healthier options that do not sacrifice much on convenience or taste.

Eat this: Frosted Mini-Wheats

Not that: Frosted Blueberry Pop-Tarts

Calories and Fat: Per serving, Pop-Tarts have 200 calories and 5 grams of fat. The Mini-Wheats have the same 200 calories per serving but only 1 gram of fat.

Difference: The two have the same number of calories per serving and are both relatively low in fat content. The real difference is in the sugar content and ingredients. Moreover, one Pop-Tart equals a serving – there are two in a pack. Pop-Tarts have 17 grams of sugar per serving, compared to the Mini-Wheats’ 12. The Mini-Wheats have 6 grams of fiber per serving and are made from whole grain wheat, whereas the Pop-Tarts’ main ingredient is enriched flour. The Mini-Wheats also have more vitamins and minerals, three times as much protein and less sodium and saturated fat.

Checking nutrition labels for listings other than fat and calories can mean the difference between a healthy breakfast and one that will send your blood sugar levels reeling. Reach for the Frosted Mini-Wheats over the breakfast sweets.

Check back weekly for more small changes you can make in your eating habits that may make big changes in your waistline. New Eat This, Not That features are posted each Saturday.

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