The Breakfast Calorie Bomb In Your Cupboard

When you consider the image of a "well-balanced breakfast," what comes to mind? There is a decent chance that the meal you are imagining reflects the messaging you have been forcefed since you last watched Saturday morning cartoons - a tall glass of juice, maybe some toast or eggs, and big bowl cereal. The breakfast cereal is near-universal as a quick, cheap, and allegedly healthy way to start your day, especially if you are on-the-go. Unfortunately, breakfast cereals are not much more than slickly packaged and purposefully misleading food disasters that counteract many Americans’ otherwise healthy life choices every day.

Breakfast cereals are so dense in carbohydrates that they do very little to encourage your body to actually burn fat. Instead, they inject your diet with a shocking about of processed grains a refined sugar. The vast majority of boxes you will find in your local cereal aisle qualify as high-glycemic carbs. That means that they are fattening, because your body is so quick to absorb it as sugar into the bloodstream with very little effort.

In contrast, low glycemic foods offer better fiber and micronutrients per serving. This often equates to better all-around nutrition. Further, since they take your body longer to absorb, you are left after a low GI meal feeling fuller for more time. This can help ward off the desire to snack emptily or eat unnecessary calories later in the day. As a result, you are more likely to lose weight. You should always choose the breakfast option with the least processed grains, that eschews things like artificial sweeteners in favor of remaining healthier. That option will almost never be found within the typical, brightly colored cereal box.