Fat Burner Breakfasts

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so don’t blow it. It’s all too easy to do, you know. Most breakfast foods are far from the healthy image they portray.

A typical American breakfast is eggs, bacon or sausage, toast and reconstituted orange juice washed down with several cups of coffee. Another would be pancakes or waffles with butter and syrup. Then there’s the old standard, corn flakes or cereal.

These days, a standard breakfast might also be replaced by a “breakfast on the run” which includes such items as a large croissant and cappuccino. Worse still is hitting Micky D’s for a fast-food breakfast.

All of these choices – although probably better than nothing – will hit your waistline harder than a heavyweight boxer.

Eggs - while being healthy sources of good quality protein - are also high in fat: 4.5 grams per serving and about 96 calories for a fried egg and 100 for a scrambled egg.

There is also a considerable amount of cholesterol in eggs, but it’s not a type that is easily absorbed into the body, so:

Eating an egg or two per day is not going to kill you, but you may want to reduce the yolks and eat more whites – 1 yolk for 2 whites or 1 yolk for 3 whites, for example. The whites are mostly protein and have virtually no fat.

If you are trying to increase lean muscle mass, egg whites are considered one of the very best protein sources, so you can eat plenty – just cut back on the yolks or be prepared to do an extra hour of cardio to burn off the calories.

Preparation methods also make a big difference – go with hard boiled or poached rather than fried or scrambled.

Bacon and worse, sausage, should be completely avoided. Not only are they very high in saturated fats, but they offer few vitamins or minerals and are packed with sodium. Grease city.

100% whole wheat toast is great as long as you skip the butter and probably the margarine as well. Margarine – while having less calories than butter – is still 100% fat. Better to eat it dry or topped with a nice poached egg. BTW: Make sure it’s 100% whole wheat – many brands are just dyed Wonder bread.

Orange juice from concentrate – hardly orange juice at all since it’s been boiled (pasteurization) – tastes like hell and is also packed with sugar. Squeeze your own or just eat the orange instead.

In fact, eat any fresh fruits you can find – not only are they bursting with vitamins, macronutrients and minerals, but they taste great. One nice way to have a seedless orange or grapefruit is to cut the peel off, slice it into bite sized sections and then squeeze a little honey over it – yum!

What about breakfast cereal? I mean, with all the active, healthy looking people on the box, it just has to be good for you!

Think again. Cereal is loaded with sugar and processed flours which give you a huge glucose spike and subsequent fat gain. Just look at the ingredients: flour, SUGAR, etc…

Shredded Wheat is probably the only decent cereal you should consider. Granola looks healthy, but it’s loaded with both fat – from the nuts – and calories from carbs.

Don’t forget to skip the whole milk and go with 1% skim milk instead.

A breakfast on the run can either be too few or too many calories, so try to avoid either scenario.

If you exercise early in the morning, try to eat right after you finish – even before you jump in the shower. A protein or fruit shake with skim milk is great. Toss in some oats to thicken it up and add some needed carbs.

After you are all done with your toiletries and heading out the door, grab one or two hard boiled eggs and some fresh fruit to snack on at about 10am. This will complete your caloric needs and keeps you from getting too full and wanting to go back to bed.

Raw vegetables like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are also great – squeeze a little lemon or lime on them to add zest. Full of macronutrients and slow digesting starchy carbs, you can basically eat all the veggies you want and not worry about gaining fat.

Nuts - despite being high in calories – are a great way to take the edge off your hunger and get you to lunch time. Don’t eat too many, but a small handful won’t hurt. Better unsalted, but the salt is not too bad if you sweat a lot during your workouts.

Even if you have the luxury of preparing a full breakfast, it’s better to break it down into two smaller meals about 2 hours apart. This gives your body time to digest the food and keeps you from feeling lethargic.

Avoid the processed carbs found in cereals, pancakes and white breads – these will give you energy, but it will be short lived and you will come crashing down well before lunchtime.

Better to snack a lot than pack it in at breakfast – you’ll be lighter on your feet and not get so hungry later in the day. And let’s not forget: you will also burn fat and that’s what it’s all about.

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