Breakfast on the Run
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for some of us, fitting it in our busy lives can be harder than it sounds. Here is a look at what's good and what's bad about some of the choices that are out there:
Coffee
Many people can't get through their day without their morning coffee, but not all coffees are the same. A Grande Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha has 470 calories and 12 g of saturated fat - that's about 25% of an average person's energy needs and more saturated fat than a McDonald's Big Mac! Choosing non-fat milk and no whipped cream will save you a few calories, but there is still about 2½ tablespoons of added sugar and 240 mg sodium (about as much as an order of McDonald's medium fries) in the drink.
Your best bet? No matter where you go to get your caffeine kick, stick to the basics - tea or coffee, any size, has almost no calories, and you're in control of how much sugar or cream you add. If you can't skip the fancy coffee, keep it small - did you know that Starbucks's smallest size is a "Short"? A Short, Non-Fat Starbucks Cappuccino will only set you back 50 calories.
Savoury Sandwiches
Wherever you go, whether it's McDonald's, Tim Horton's or even Subway, their breakfast sandwiches are all the same – sausage, bacon, egg and/or cheese between different types of bread or in a wrap. The McDonald's Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle is one of the worst – it's fatty and salty like the other sandwiches, but the filling is in between two sugary pancakes! One of these fist-sized monsters contains 550 calories, 13 g of saturated fat and 1,430 mg of sodium – that's about 60% of the saturated fat you should have in a day, and essentially all your sodium requirements too! (A person needs only 1,500 mg of sodium per day; the number we are more familiar with, 2,300 mg, is actually the maximum amount of sodium we should have in a day.)
The biggest surprise, though, has to be the healthy-sounding 12 Grain Bagel with Light Plain Cream Cheese at Tim Horton's, which has more calories (430 vs. 320), more saturated fat (6 g vs. 5 g), more sugar (8 g vs. 1 g) and more sodium (796 mg vs. 760 mg) than the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Wrap. Sure, it has three times the fibre, but it's definitely not worth the calories.
Your best bet? Skip the fatty sausage and bacon and stick with an egg-and-cheese sandwich. At Tim Horton's, a wrap is your lightest choice, while at McDonald's or Subway, go for the English muffin. If you really want to cut back on your sodium and saturated fat, skip the cheese, but really, this is a dish made best at home, when you can have control over the bread (choose one made with whole grains) and how much salt is in the sandwich!
Sweet Treats
If you like to satisfy your sweet tooth first thing in the morning, you might think a muffin is better than say, a pastry or a donut, right? Wrong! Even the healthiest-sounding donuts are loaded with fat, sugar and – can you believe it? – salt! Case in point: A Raisin Bran Muffin from Tim Horton's has 410 calories (still more than their bacon wrap!), 13 g of fat (including 2.5 g of saturated fat and 0.2 g of trans fat), 40 g of sugar (nearly ⅓ of the muffin's entire weight, or about 3 tablespoons) and 490 mg of sodium (more than a large order of fries or four Chicken McNuggets at McDonald's).
Almost all fast food places have some sort of fruit and yogurt parfait - the Starbucks version has 270-290 calories, depending on the flavour, while those from McDonald's and Tim Horton's have 150-180 calories. The difference? Granola. Though often regarded as healthy, most are high in fat and sugar. It's easy to make a healthy parfait at home – start with your favourite fruit, fresh or frozen (if you're using frozen fruit, you can leave it in the fridge to defrost overnight), then spoon on some plain, low-fat yogurt (I like the thick, protein-packed 0% Greek yogurts that are available now). This way, you're already saving calories as most of the fast food yogurts are sweetened. You can stop there, or sprinkle on a high-fibre, low-sugar cereal to add some sweetness and crunch.
Your best bet? Oatmeal is becoming the next trend in fast food breakfasts, with both Starbucks and Tim Horton's offering their own versions. A Tim Horton's Mixed Berry Oatmeal has only 210 calories, 14 g of sugar (about 1 tablespoon), 220 mg of sodium and 5 g of fibre.
