The quick breakfast foods to avoid – and seven healthier alternatives
Cake for breakfast anyone? While we may feel guilty about a mid-afternoon treat, we have no qualms about grabbing a Starbucks blueberry muffin first thing in the morning – yet it contains just as much sugar.
I often find myself wondering whatever happened to the healthy British breakfast, and how it all went so wrong. Fewer than half (49 per cent) of us eat breakfast seven days a week, according to a YouGov survey, with 13 per cent skipping it every day. Of those who need morning sustenance, by far the most popular option is cereal. The booming UK breakfast cereals market is currently worth £2.7 billion and rising.
But what we're spooning in with one eye on the clock is, 'mainly toasted starch, whose nutritional value is only minimally better than cardboard,' says Prof Tim Spector, an epidemiologist, gut health expert and co-founder of nutrition company Zoe.
It's sweet, too: although sugar-reduction goals of 20 per cent were set out by Public Health England back in 2017, these targets have not been met and some cereal and yogurt products still pack in the equivalent of up to four teaspoons of sugar per suggested serving. Yet sugar is not the only baddie lurking in our breakfast bowls.
Coco Pops, one of the UK's favourite cereals, may have halved its sugar content, but it still contains '20 per cent more salt per gram than a typical microwave lasagne', reports Dr Chris van Tulleken, the author of Ultra-Processed People and an expert in ultra-processed food (UPF). 'This incredible saltiness is true of most breakfast cereals – it helps to make them taste amazing,' he adds.
If we're not downing a quick bowlful of cereal, we might grab a cereal bar or breakfast biscuit on the run. While manufacturers flag up seemingly healthy ingredients, such as oats, honey and fruit – and virtuous-sounding terms like plant-based and gluten-free abound – these products are still highly processed.
Prof Spector points out that manufacturers 'use combinations of sugar, corn syrup, gelatine, starch, oil and artificial 'berry' flavours and dyes to create their own mock fruit-flavoured product'. You might be better grabbing a couple of digestives.
Meanwhile, the UK branded coffee-shop market is now valued at £6.1 billion. Many of us wouldn't dream of nipping out for a McDonald's at lunch, yet we think nothing of grabbing a Costa All Day Breakfast Wrap (604kcal with a mighty 33g fat, of which 9.7g are saturates).
So what should we opt for instead? Here are seven breakfast swaps to make for a healthier start to your day.
By Silvana Franco
1. If your fix is high-sugar cereal …
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