Better Nutrition March 2019

a big category of sneaky sugar foods.
Granola-based cereals, for example, can
have up to 15 grams of sugar. That’s like
eating three teaspoons of sugar. Granola
bars are worse, with up to 25 grams in
a small bar, equivalent to the amount in
a chocolate bar. The sugar in bars and
cereals may not always come from “sugar,”
but from ingredients such as evaporated
cane juice, glucose syrup, fructose, honey,
maple syrup, brown rice syrup, fruit juice
concentrate, and dates. Check labels for
these sneaky sugar sources.
Meats: Breakfast meats, such as bacon
and ham, are sources of protein, which
initially seem like good choices. But
they, too, contain hidden sugar—in much
smaller amounts than other breakfast
foods, but amounts that can still prompt
sugar cravings in sugar-sensitive people.
Breakfast Foods
That Act Like Sugar
Other common breakfast foods—toast,
English muffins, pancakes, waffles,
and muffins—are high-carbohydrate,
high-glycemic, blood-sugar-spiking
foods. Even if they contain no added
sugar, foods made with wheat flour or
gluten-free flours such as cornmeal or
rice flour contain carbohydrates that break
down to sugar quickly, resulting in a
rapid rise in blood glucose levels, followed
by a drop—a recipe that can easily lead to
post-breakfast hunger and mid-morning
cravings. And if they contain
added sugar, they spell even more trouble.
Potatoes are another carb-laden, highglycemic
breakfast. Hash browns and
home fries—the two most popular potato
dishes eaten for breakfast—are on the list
of 100 vegetables with the highest glycemic
index. Although these side dishes are
often eaten with protein-rich eggs, which
help moderate the blood sugar response,
potatoes are likely the worst vegetables
to eat for those prone to sugar cravings.
Breakfast Solutions
for Long-Lasting Energy
Keep in mind that breakfast is the break
to the fast your body has been on since
dinner the night before. To change your
breakfast habits in a favorable way and
get your day off to a healthy start, shift
away from the idea of eating traditional
breakfast foods and toward the idea of
eating a blood-sugar balancing meal in
the morning. Try these tips:
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SUGAR-FREE BREAK-
FAST BEVERAGES
Breakfast for most people doesn’t just
consist of food; it includes beverages too.
If you’re drinking fruit juice or sugared
coffee or tea with your morning meal,
you’re consuming concentrated
liquid sugar that can disrupt even
the best-balanced food choices.
To get the sugar out of breakfast
beverages, stop the fruit juice habit
and try eating small amounts of whole
fruit instead. If you’re accustomed to
sugar or sweetened creamers in coffee or tea, take the time to
gradually transition to coffee or tea with unsweetened coconut
milk, organic half and half, or vanilla-flavored, unsweetened
almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk. Or use a no-sugaradded
coffee creamer such as Nutpods Unsweetened Dairy-Free Creamer or
Califia Farms Unsweetened Better Half or Unsweetened Almondmilk Creamer.
Make sure your breakfast is
sugar-free. Removing hidden sugar
means looking at nutrition labels and
avoiding foods that contain added
sugars, dropping most traditional
breakfast foods, and looking for
no-added-sugar, lower-glycemic
alternatives. Make pancakes, waffles,
and muffins out of coconut or nut flour,
and include no added sweeteners. For
a quick breakfast “bread,” try Paleobased
Mickey’s Original English Muffins
made from almond and
coconut flours. If you can
tolerate milk go for full-fat,
unsweetened, organic Greek
yogurt. In the breakfast
meat category, skip the
bacon and ham
and look for savory
rather than sweet
dinner sausages, such
as Applegate Organics
Spinach & Feta Sausage.
*
*
Include protein, healthy fat, and
slow-burning carbs. Instead of
pairing poached or fried eggs with
potatoes, place them on top of sautéed
greens. Or make omelets or frittatas
with eggs, cheese, sautéed onions,
spinach, peppers, tomatoes, and/or
mushrooms. For something different,
try making homemade, sugar-free
sausage patties with ground pork or
ground turkey, sage, and fennel, and
serve them with sautéed cinnamon
apples in organic butter or coconut oil.
Try dinner leftovers. Breakfast
should be any food that gets you off to a
good start, so reheated dinner leftovers
can make a quick, healthy morning
meal. Whether dinner a night or two
before was organic steak or hamburgers
with sautéed mushrooms, chicken stir
fry, or lamb chops and julienne green
beans, each of these provide protein, fat,
and slower-burning carbohydrates—and
they’re quick and easy to reheat. During
warmer months, or when you’re short
on time, grab some cold, cooked slices of
pot roast or chicken, nuts, celery sticks,
and fresh berries.
Do you have a question for the nutritionist? We would
love to hear from you. Please email your questions to
bnaskthenutritionist@gmail.com.
MARCH 2019 • 43