I have always thought of myself as a careful eater. I count calories, read labels and avoid salty and fatty foods. Recently, however, I was running late for an appointment, skipped breakfast at home and grabbed a breakfast sandwich at a fast food drive-thru. I was horrified when I later discovered that in that one meal I had ingested more fat and sodium than I would normally consume in a day.
Life in the Fast-Food Lane
Marketing gurus for fast food restaurants have zeroed in on today’s mobile public to promote their breakfast products as the way to go when we are on the go. And they are succeeding – take-out breakfasts account for $57 billion of the fast-food industry.
Unfortunately, fast food breakfasts are getting cheesier, meatier and unhealthier as the major chains compete with each other to entice you to buy their products. To help you choose healthier breakfast options when you are on the go, here are the best and worst breakfast menu items offered by five fast food chains:
McDonald’s
Worst Choice: You’ll probably want to say “no thank you” to McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes. Coming in at 1,090 calories, 56 g of fat and 19 g of saturated fat, this is definitely not a heart-healthy selection. The meal’s sodium count of 2,150 mg comes close to exceeding your daily limit.
Better Choice: Go with the Egg McMuffin. At 300 calories, 12 g of fat, 5 g saturated fat, and 2 g of fiber, it is a much healthier choice. The McMuffin’s lean Canadian bacon provides protein with little fat and its protein and fiber will keep you feeling full longer. If you are watching your sodium intake, you should note the Egg McMuffin has 820 mg.
Burger King
Worst Choice: The Double Croissan’wich with Double Sausage is double trouble for your arteries. With two sausage patties, double cheese and fried eggs on a large croissant bun, this high-fat, high-calorie sandwich racks up 700 calories, 49 g of fat, 18 g of saturated fat and 1,510 mg of sodium. Eat this and you will be consuming nearly a day’s worth of fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
Better Choice: Take out the “double” and go with the Egg and Cheese Croissan’wich. This breakfast has 320 calories, 16 g of fat and 7 g of saturated fat. The sandwich’s 11 g of protein will keep you going until lunch, but beware of its 690 mg of sodium.
Jack in the Box
Worst Choice: The Sirloin Steak and Egg Burrito with Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa is a flour tortilla packed with scrambled eggs, steak, hash browns and cheese. Weighing in at 821 calories, 50 g of fat and 15 g of saturated fat, it also has 1,616 mg of sodium. The burrito does have 38 grams of protein, but the fat and sodium content should be show stoppers.
Better Choice: The Breakfast Jack is a fried egg, ham and American cheese served on a hamburger bun. It has 283 calories, 11 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 16 g protein and 789 mg sodium.
Dunkin’ Donuts
Worst Choices: There are two worst offenders to tempt you at Dunkin’ Donuts. The Sausage Egg and Cheese Croissant delivers 690 calories, 48 g fat, 19 g saturated fat and 1,340mg of sodium. The Sausage Egg and Cheese Bagel comes in at 690 calories, 35 g fat, 13 g saturated fat and 1,650 mg sodium.
Better Choice: Order the Egg and Cheese on an English Muffin sandwich with 320 calories, 15 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 14 g protein, 1 g fiber and 820 mg sodium. If you opt for a wheat bagel, you will add 4 g of fiber.
Starbucks
Worst Choice: Any scone offered by Starbucks is going to be a buttery, high-fat, sugary treat better suited for dessert than breakfast. The Cranberry Orange Scone may sound like you are getting fruit servings, but it contains 490 calories, 18 g fat, 2 g fiber, and 8 g protein. Its 9 g of saturated fat is equal to 45 percent of the daily limit.
Better Choices: The Egg White, Spinach and Feta Wrap contains just 280 calories, 10 g fat and 3.5 g saturated fat. A big plus is the 18 g of protein and 6 g of fiber. Other healthy options include the 240-calorie Oatmeal with Nut Medley Topping and the Greek Yogurt Honey Parfait with 290 calories.
Make Healthy Choices
Clearly, your healthiest breakfast choices are to be found in your own home. If, however, you need a quick, on-the-go breakfast, choose your meal wisely and forgo high-calorie, fat-laden selections for those that have more protein and fiber.
Sources:
WebMD.com
Helpguide.org