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 I love breakfast foods, and I’ll sometimes prepare them for dinner. But like many on-the-go professionals, I rise early and have a hard time cooking at 6 a.m. Short of a blast of coffee, I may forego breakfast until mid-morning and, I must confess, occasionally skip this meal altogether—a bad nutritional move.
I’m not alone. Many Americans fail to eat what Mom repeatedly—and correctly—called the most important meal of the day. Some of us play the “I don’t have time; I’m rushing out the door” card, while others believe skipping breakfast will help them lose weight. Both approaches are rife with dietary pitfalls.
“It
might seem logical that skipping breakfast would mean fewer calories
and easier weight control, but it doesn’t seem to be true most of the
time,” says registered dietitian Karen Collins, a consultant for the American Institute for Cancer Research. “Studies show that frequently skipping breakfast is linked with higher body mass index [BMI], a measure of overweight.” The
reason? Breakfast-skippers will become hungry as the morning hours
pass, setting themselves up to snack impulsively and overeat later in
the day. That
said, we’re not proposing a high-fat, high-calorie, meat-centered
platter of eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns and toast. Regardless
of whether these foods are organic, their collective calorie count is
off the charts. As Collins notes, it’s important to “start the day with
whole-grain bread or cereal, some fruit or vegetable, and a modest
amount of protein,” which will “energize you, satisfy hunger through
the morning, and provide antioxidant vitamins and phytochemicals that
add up to help protect you against cancer and heart disease.” Building a Better Breakfast
The AICR offers the following breakfast tips, which reflect the principles of organic living:
Stock your pantry with healthful ingredients like oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, wheat germ, nuts and canned or dried fruit. Visit
your local natural and organic food store, and buy some flaxseed—an
excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid. Mix it into low-fat cereal,
yogurt, cottage cheese and smoothies. These foods can help you resist
the temptation to grab a doughnut or pastry. Other
healthful breakfast meals include a parfait layered with nonfat or
low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit with cereal, nuts or raisins; low-fat
yogurt mixed with fresh fruit in a blender for a vitamin-rich smoothie;
whole-wheat toast with a dab of peanut butter and banana slices;
instant oatmeal or whole-grain cold cereal topped with raisins or fresh
fruit and low-fat regular or soy milk; and fish, such as leftover
salmon, with a whole-grain bagel and reduced or nonfat cream cheese. Bake bran or fruit-and nut-muffins over the weekend, and store them in the freezer.
The Fast-Food Trap
Even
the most dedicated organic foodie will fall off the wagon once in a
while. If you’re headed to work, you may consider grabbing a fast-food
biscuit sandwich, usually accompanied by greasy hash browns and some
really bad coffee. But as the Center for Science in the Public
Interest’s Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, and Jayne G. Hurley, RD, note in Restaurant Confidential,
“It’s not surprising that competing chains have risen to the challenge
of creating their own not-just-for-breakfast versions. These days it’s
all too easy to find gargantuan high-fat, high-salt, high-cholesterol
breakfasts available anytime, anywhere.” A
McDonald’s Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit with hash browns weighs in at
580 calories, 33 g fat, 245 mg cholesterol and 1,630 mg sodium. A
Burger King Bacon, Egg and Cheese Croissan’wich with a small order of
Cheesy Tots? 550 calories, 32 g fat, 825 mg cholesterol and 1,250 mg
sodium. A Denny’s Lumberjack Slam (three buttermilk pancakes, slice of
grilled honey ham, two bacon strips, two sausage links and two eggs,
plus hash browns or grits and choice of bread)? A whopping 1,140
calories, with 53 g fat, 560 mg cholesterol and 4,140 mg sodium. Scary
numbers—and definitely not organic.  If
an on-the-go breakfast seems like your only option, you do have some
healthful alternatives. Call your favorite organic restaurant before
leaving the house, and order a low-fat, low-cholesterol takeout meal.
If you want to dine at home or bring breakfast to the office, try a
frozen organic entrée like an Amy’s Kitchen Breakfast Burrito
(organic potatoes, tofu, black beans, vegetables and salsa wrapped in
an organic flour tortilla): 250 calories, 7 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol and
540 mg sodium. Your local supermarket and natural/organic food store
should carry Quaker’s new Organic Instant Oatmeal,
available in regular or maple brown sugar flavors. One serving of the
regular flavor has only 100 calories, 2 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol and 0
mg sodium. Add some fruit or raisins, and you’re good to go!
And check out OrganicAuthority Publisher Laura Klein’s yummy recipe for Organic Butternut Squash Pancakes. We also have a great recipe for Cracked Wheat Cereal.
Contributing Editor Barbara Feiner is president of the Los Angeles Professional Writers Group. She blogs Monday through Friday on Organic Authority.
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