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Responsible Living

How to green your breakfast: Worst foods

Want greener eggs and ham? You've come to the right place.

By Russell McLendonFri, Nov 14 2008 at 10:07 AM EST
 11

PIGGING OUT: Watch out for high-fat breakfast foods. (Photo: Dan4th Nicholas/Flickr)
Want greener eggs and ham? Worried about your jelly doughnut's CO2 legacy and cellulite future? You're right to be concerned, but you have lots of options. Let MNN help you break the fast without breaking your health, the environment or the bank.
 
The worst breakfast foods
You may have heard that you are what you eat, but you're also not what you don't eat. No need to avoid these breakfast foods like the plague; maybe just avoid them like obesity, heart disease, wastewater runoff and global warming.
 
Fast food: Why would you trust the food from any restaurant so rushed it fuses words together (Frescuit, Croissan'wich) or can't be bothered to spell out conjunctions (Big N' Tasty, Biscuit 'N' Gravy)? While it's true fast-food companies are scrambling to revamp their images in the post-Super Size Me era, and some have made nutritional improvements, the industry's environmental impacts haven't gotten as much attention. Fast-food chains have huge carbon footprints, tend to support factory farming and produce a massive amount of packaging waste every year.
 
Cinnamon rolls, doughnuts and pastries: Depending where you get your pastries, you might be better off eating a piece of birthday cake for breakfast. A lot depends on the source and how it's made, though, so try for healthier or more sustainable alternatives. Get a whole-wheat doughnut instead of Boston cream, or a low-fat cinnamon roll instead of a Honey Bun. And if you do eat a cinnamon roll, for your own sake, don't do this.
 
Pork: Getting early-morning protein from bacon, ham and sausage can actually ward off hunger later in the day. Unfortunately, most pork comes from industrial hog farms that produce mountains of manure and emit greenhouse gases, ammonia and foul smells that encroach on neighbors. Look for fresh, organic pork that doesn't contain preservatives and wasn't fed antibiotics, or buy low-sodium and low-fat products. Center-cut bacon often has at least 20 percent less fat than traditional cuts, and turkey bacon has about a third less.
 
Eggs: Eggs are the champions of breakfast, the foundation on which the traditional American morning is built, and in moderation they're a beautiful thing. A whole fried egg has about double the protein of a slice of bacon, and is high in essential nutrients like selenium and choline. One of eggs' potential downsides is their yolks, however, which are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Eating egg whites may reduce those risks, but while both whole eggs and egg whites still have a bit much sodium, it's much less than many processed foods. Where many egg breakfasts go wrong isn't necessarily the eggs themselves, but what accompanies them — trans-fat-packed biscuits, for example, as well as bacon and cheese, which can add unwanted nitrates, sodium and fat.
 
Pancakes, waffles, and French toast with butter and syrup: Actually, the main problem with these is just the butter and syrup, so no need to throw out your waffle iron. If you can skip both condiments in favor of real fruit or raw honey, you'll be doing yourself a big favor. If you're making French toast yourself, try using egg whites and skim milk to cut down on cholesterol and fat. And don't be afraid to throw in some fruit, too — bananas go well with French toast, for example.
 
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Related Topics: Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Organic Foods

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anonymous
Tiger 06/07/2011 07:40 AM

Please dont be so sensatvie take your normal breakfast and work out even 45 mints and see how your healthy and performance .all this article for lazy pepole and week .

anonymous
Nonesense 09/28/2010 13:35 PM

This article is full of ****. Egg whites only? The yolk is where all the vitamins and minerals are, the ones that most Americans are diffecent in. Also, dietary cholesterol is not related to blood cholesterol!

anonymous
Brian 05/25/2010 22:58 PM

"but both whole eggs and egg whites still have a bit much sodium..."
Really? News to me. A whole egg typically has just 60mg of sodium, which makes it a low sodium food, and practically nothing compared to around 1000mg in a typical pork sausage or serving of bacon. Eggs are one of the healthiest foods you can eat, whereas just 2oz of processed meat per day (half a typical serving) raises your heart disease risk by over 40%!

anonymous
Ivy 11/04/2009 20:38 PM

Well we have so many options, what about fruits??!!!!! is not necessary have pastries, fat a lot of calories for breakfast, somehow it is necessary but not everyday, In my case I change everyday and I love eggs as well but it doesnt mean I have to eat them everyday....i think the best way to enjoy food is try a bit of everything if you like bacon,,,eat it!! but not everyday...in fact I think the range of organic products is growing everyday, we pay a bit more but we get a better quality
Just.... More

anonymous
A Nony.Mouse 08/13/2009 05:54 AM

The article never once stated that eggs have trans fat. It said "...eggs' downside is their yolks, which are high in cholesterol and saturated fat." It was Anonymous, posting back in January, who mistakenly added the phrase trans fat. If he had paid a wee bit more attention, he would have realized that as well.
And yes, high sodium intake is related to high blood pressure - I've known this since I was a kid back in the 90s when my mother was diagnosed with high blood pressure and the.... More

anonymous
Hannah S. 07/27/2009 16:40 PM

I was just at the doctor's the other day and she said to me that high sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure. I trust she knows what she's talking about.

anonymous
Anonymous 07/06/2009 12:11 PM

Why even bother making French toast if you're just going to use egg whites and skim milk substitutes? It's misguided to generalize all fats as "worst foods." Read some Michael Pollan, and you'll see how Americans are becoming less healthy from our fat substitutes.

anonymous
Anonymous 01/14/2009 12:20 PM

"But eggs' downside is their yolks, which are high in cholesterol, saturated fat and TRANS FAT"

Excuse me -- eggs contain manmade transfat? How do you figure that?

anonymous
Quilter 03/13/2009 13:24 PM

I also would like to know how this guy got Trans Fat inside of an egg? Sometimes I can't get organic but I get eggs as fresh as possible and enjoy 2 every morning. My only illnesses are job and/or smoking related and I'm past 60.

anonymous
Anonymous 02/19/2009 16:52 PM

This is bad for you, this isn't. This is. This isn't. Freakin' exercise a bit and have WHATEVER you want in moderation. I often wonder how my granparents have lived so long, (NINTIES) with out all these 'green' jobs and 'green' AH HA's! That we have now. Sheesh. Waste of time. Common Sense can play a BIG roll in our daily lives. Eat freakin eggs if you want some freakin' eggs!

pg.becker
pg.becker 01/13/2009 19:33 PM

What`s the common diet plan lacking most ? Leaf vegetables !

Why not add them to your breakfast table ? How ? Try Nettle Jam; the Stinging Nettle Marmalade.

The Pesto-Principle applied to a sweet breadspread is the revolution for breakfast, to replace Jams and Jellies made of fruit that would´ve been healthier consumed fresh without all the sugar anyway and therefore add a new food item like Stinging Nettle. This plant is widely available, even for beginners easy to identify.... More

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