As many health experts and doctors have said over the years, breakfast is arguably the most important food of the day. When you eat lousy food for breakfast, you can end up doing a whole lot of damage over time.
Breakfast can be a hard meal to navigate sometimes, as there are so many different savory and sweet options, and there are a lot of mixed opinions on what’s the best thing to eat at the start of the day. There are also significant differences in the breakfast you’ll eat on your own at home, and the ones you’ll eat while out with family or tucking into a decadent brunch. It’s essential to keep an eye on what you’re eating for breakfast, as there are a good number of breakfast food items that contain ingredients that can negatively impact your heart health and raise your cholesterol.
To stray away from those foods, we spoke with Destini Moody, RDN, a Registered Dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching, about three of the “worst” foods to eat for breakfast that can damage your heart health over time. Read more about them below.
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1. Pork-Based Bacon & Sausages
One of the most popular things you'll find on a breakfast table is bacon. Second to that - sausages. After all, they're salty, greasy, meaty, and pretty delicious. However, while they may offer up some protein, there's a lot going on in these foods that can hurt your overall health, but more specifically, your heart and cholesterol levels.
"This is one of the worst breakfast foods you can have," says Moody. "They are typically packed with sodium to preserve the meat and prevent spoilage, but excess sodium can drastically increase your risk of high blood pressure. Typically, these foods contain more grams of saturated fat than protein, and saturated fat is well known as a contributing factor to high cholesterol and increased risk of heart attack."
Instead of reaching for fatty, pork-based bacon and sausage, when you want your breakfast meat fix, try low-sodium turkey bacon or sausages made from chicken and turkey.
2. Pastries
Sometimes, there are few things more satisfying than enjoying your morning cup of coffee alongside a fresh, warm donut, muffin, or flaky pastry like a croissant. However, you may want to think again before making these a staple part of your breakfast routine. After all, having pastries for breakfast is essentially like eating dessert for breakfast.
"Doughnuts, muffins, danishes, and croissants go hand in hand with coffee, but not so much with your heart health," explains Moody.
"Some of these foods can contain partially hydrogenated fats, which are the worst type of fat your heart can have to the point that the FDA has banned the use of them, but they can still be present in some foods," she adds. "Either way, it's solid fat in these baked goods that gives them that addictive flaky texture. Fats that are solid at room temperature are known to increase the risk of heart disease compared to liquid fats, or oils, which contain heart-healthy, unsaturated fats."
If you want some carbs to go with your breakfast, look for whole wheat and grain breads, English muffins, bagels, and more.
3. Lattes And Blended Coffees
Sorry, coffee lovers, but it's imperative to realize that how you take your morning coffee and what you put in it makes a big difference in your health. If you're drinking flavored lattes with syrups or blended coffee drinks with added sugar and whipped cream, once again, you're basically having dessert for breakfast, consuming things that can raise your cholesterol easily.
"For coffee buffs, they often can't go a day without their caffeine, and this is important because, while a Frappuccino is just fine to indulge in every now and then, when had on a daily basis, it can seriously harm your health," notes Moody.
"These drinks are packed with refined sugar and can contain heavy cream or full-fat milk, both of which have a higher saturated fat content," she adds. "Many people don't know that refined and added sugar can increase the risk of heart disease, but it can due to the inflammation it causes in the body, including the blood vessels. This causes these vessels to become hardened, which can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke if this hardening leads to a blockage."
When having your morning coffee, most days, try to stick with only adding some skim milk or unsweetened plant-based milk. Better yet, try to see if you can handle black coffee, or even make a switch to some beneficial green tea.
