7 Ways You're Doing Breakfast All Wrong

1. You wait too long.

Eating breakfast within half an hour of waking up is key to keeping your diet on track for the day. Can't eat a full meal right away? Bulk up your morning coffee. Choose a 16 oz skim or soy milk latte (which delivers up to 13g of protein) and a piece of fruit; then have another small, protein-packed bite mid-morning.

2. You've skipped it entirely.

Don't miss it. Period. First, people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight or obese. And second, it primes you to make better choices throughout the day.

Imagine: You skip breakfast, go into lunch ravenous, and are ready to deep-fry your mouse-pad at 4 p.m.

Post-dinner, you feel like late-night snacking, which leaves you too full to eat breakfast the next day, and starts the whole cycle over again. Sound familiar? Eat up.

Related - Your Breakfast Cereal Choice May Influence Your Weight Loss Goal


3. You're drinking juice.
Even if it's "no sugar added," "cold pressed," or even "fresh squeezed," juice is still a concentrated form of calories from sugar.

You wouldn't sit down and eat six whole oranges for breakfast, right? (That's about how much is in one cup of juice). Skip the juice, grab an orange, and focus on eating your calories instead of adding sneaky sources of sugar to your day.


4. You're too into smoothies.
Plenty of people find satisfaction from drinking a smoothie, but it's often made up of a whole lot of added sugar. Be sure to swap the sugary stuff for naturally sweet fruit, healthy veggies, and lean protein.


5. You're having cereal.
Yes, not all cereals are created equal — absolutely skip any with more than 6g of sugar per serving. But more importantly, the old cereal plus milk staple isn't that satisfying because most tend to be low in calories, fiber, and protein (and the actual 1/2 cup serving size is pretty paltry). If you can't do without: Add a half cup of low-sugar, high-fiber cereal to low-fat Greek yogurt and a cup of berries.

Related - Foods Nutritionist Say You Have To Avoid


6. You're fooled by healthy "buzzwords."
Bran muffins, buckwheat pancakes, granola, or agave — they seem good-for-you, but they're what I call "breakfast mirages." While bran, buckwheat, and many of the grains added to granola are excellent, most brands tend to be loaded with other high-calorie ingredients. And stop living in denial: Agave/honey/maple syrup are just other names for sugar.


7. You're not a fan of "breakfast" foods.
We've heard of breakfast for dinner — why not dinner for breakfast? I've had plenty of clients tell me they skip eating in the morning because they simply don't love breakfast foods. But your leftovers of lean protein, sautéed veggies, and quinoa can be delicious anytime of day, right?

Or serve up a parfait with a base of whole grains like faro or brown rice, topped with Greek yogurt, berries, nuts, and honey. Even try breakfast pizza: veggies plus tomato sauce plus an ounce of part-skim mozzarella on a whole-grain English muffin equals healthy breakfast, straight from your kitchen.

By Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN from Good HouseKeeping
Image by Getty + Cultura RM/BRETT STEVENS

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