Imagine starting your day with a light fast-food breakfast you think is fairly nutritious and healthy, only to discover it has more sugar than the American Heart Association recommends you have in an entire day? It turns out, a lot of breakfast options from some of our favorite restaurants actually contain more sugar than a 12-ounce can of Coke. Those have about 39 grams of sugar, which is more than the AHA's suggested daily limit of 24 grams of added sugar for women, 36 grams for men.
So don’t be fooled by these breakfasts you consider to be “healthy,” they’re actually loaded with sugar.
- Dunkin’ Blueberry Muffins - Each muffin has 45 grams of sugar and only one gram of fiber, which means they probably won’t fill you up much either.
- Au Bon Pain’s Blueberry Yogurt and Wild Blueberry Parfait - Blueberries are definitely good for you, as they’re high in antioxidants, but these parfaits also have 45 grams of sugar.
- Cranberry Orange Muffin from Panera - This is a tasty treat, especially with the turbinado sugar-encrusted top, but that only adds to the 42-grams of sugar in each muffin.
- Pumpkin Muffin from Panera - It’s made with real pumpkin, which can be healthy, but these muffins are topped with powdered sugar and streusel, so it’s probably not surprising that they’re also high in sugar at 40 grams per muffin.
- Fresh-Baked Oatmeal Bars from Wendy’s - Oatmeal can be a nutrient-dense, fiber-filled breakfast choice, but these clock in at 280 calories and 23 grams of sugar in each bar, and if you eat both in the order, that’s 46 grams of sugar for breakfast.
- McDonald’s Small McCafe Latte and Fruit & Maple Oatmeal - The latte only has 11 grams of sugar and the Fruit and Maple Oatmeal has 31 grams of sugar, but combined, you’re starting your day with 42 grams of sugar.
Source: Eat This, Not That