They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I’ve never been sure who they are, but I’ve never really doubted that statement. Let’s take a look at what the a typical American breakfast might consists of:
- 2 Fried Eggs (Yolks up!)
- 3 Slices of Bacon
- 1 English Muffin / Butter
- 3 Ounces of Hash Browns
- 2 Cups of Coffee (w/ cream)
- 6 ounces of Orange Juice
Now you may argue that that’s not what YOU eat (good for you), but talk a stroll through a Denny’s or an IHop and you’ll realize that I’m not far off. I want to go on record that for 35 years of my life, I ignored what I ate, if it tasted good, it was good - restraint and moderation weren’t in my vocabulary, and I deluded myself that the good folks at Denny’s where serving me a balanced and well proportioned meal - I now know better - let’s take a ‘eyes-wide-open’ at that breakfast;
- 2 Fried Eggs - 180 calories
- 3 Slices of Pork Bacon - 103 calories
- 1 English Muffin / Butter - 164 calories
- 3 Ounces of Hash Browns - 359 calories
- 2 Cups of Coffee (w/ cream) - 49 calories
- 6 ounces of Orange Juice - 84 calories
Okay I know what your thinking - “man, I’m never eating hash browns again” - if you total all that up your looking at 867 calories (not to mention nitrates and cholesterol) with roughly half of that coming from fat (47% to be exact) unless your a pro-hockey goalie, a lumberjack or a first grade school teacher, it’s unlikely you need all those calories to get you through till lunch. The bigger issue isn’t what we eat for breakfast, it’s what we follow it up with for lunch and dinner - and god forbid if you eat at a restaurant.
All of this has been a major wake-up call for me, now every morning I have yogurt and grapenuts (roughly 215 calories, and crunchy goodness) and I follow it up in a few hours with a little peanut butter on some flatbread - all a far cry from my Grand Slam Breakfast days, that’s for certain…
IS it easy too change your eating habits of 30+ years, absolutely not, I fight the urge for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every single day, I’d love to stuff my face with McSomethings and Big Jumbos, I swear I’ll never do that to myself again.
So all that leaves the question “Saul… if I can’t have the Denny’s Mcbreakfast what am I supposed to eat?” — I’m not a nutritionist, if you really need to ask ME that question, I suggest you FIND a nutritionists, you may be surprised at what they tell you about what you eat. I certainly was.
Tagged: breakfast, calorie conscious, eating well, eggs, recipe