Who doesn’t love a good brunch?! Taking time to meet up with friends and enjoy a lavish meal together on a sunny weekend nearly always sounds like a good idea. However, things can get tricky if you’re trying to shed a few pounds and still want to enjoy a delicious brunch; making healthy decisions can be especially difficult when you’re eating at a restaurant. In fact, there are a few common dishes that health experts say you should refrain from ordering if weight loss is what you’re after–but luckily, there are plenty of healthy alternatives!
To get a run-down on the worst brunch meals for weight loss and how to choose a healthy meal instead, we spoke to Trista Best, dietitian for Balance One Supplements, and dietitian Catherine Gervacio of Living.Fit. They told us that while pancakes and waffles should generally be avoided due to fattening ingredients and empty calories, there are lots of nutritious brunch dishes to enjoy.
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Pancakes and waffles
When you think of brunch, a carb-filled, sugary treat like pancakes or waffles may be one of the first things that pops into your head. Unfortunately, though, as delicious as these sweet dishes are, they’re typically detrimental to your health and weight loss goals when eaten on a regular basis.
“These are high-fat, high-calorie foods that can be made worse with the addition of butter, cream, bacon, and fried eggs,” Gervacio warns. “Also, since they are high in calories, there's a high chance that the excess calories would be stored into fat, increasing more fat stored in the body.” Yikes!
Best agrees that waffles and pancakes containing refined carbs and topped with high-calorie ingredients (think chocolate chips, whipped cream, and more) will slow your weight loss progress due to the fact that “these ingredients are inflammatory and contain empty calories.”
It isn’t just the fact that they contain fattening ingredients that make these dishes a poor choice. Gervacio points out that the lack of fiber is also a major issue. Adequate fiber is vital for weight loss for several reasons. For starters, not getting enough of this nutrient will prevent you from feeling satiated for long after your meal, which means you’re more likely to fill up again on more inflammatory, sugary foods later in the day–and that’s definitely never a good habit if you’re trying to slim down.
Healthy alternatives
There’s still good news for brunch lovers who are watching their weight! You don’t have to skip out on the meal altogether. In fact, you may still be able to have your pancakes and eat them too if they’re made with the right ingredients. “If you're opting for pancakes for brunch first make sure they are made with a whole grain flour and choose toppings rich in nutrients like berries or nuts versus whipped cream and chocolate chips,” Best recommends.
If there are now healthy pancake or waffle options available, though (because let’s be realistic: many restaurants aren’t going to be serving up whole wheat waffles), there are still plenty of healthy routes you can take. For one, you can never go wrong with a healthy fruit bowl or a yogurt cafe. Gervacio offers another suggestion: “Instead of waffles or pancakes, choose whole wheat bread to pair up with healthy fats and lean proteins. A breakfast sandwich with lean-cut deli, poached eggs, and leafy greens is a good alternative,” she concludes.
