Ranking the Top 10 Most Popular Breakfast Meals
Before we kick off our 40FRESH breakfast habit, we thought it would be a good idea to rate all of the most popular breakfast foods. Over the next few days of the 40FRESH Challenge, we’ll start to look at healthy recipes to replace the items on the Nope list. But first, let’s break down your top 10 most popular breakfast meals.
Today’s Checklist
If you’re following along with the 40FRESH Challenge, here’s your homework for today:
Read this post
Continue to drink 40FRESH
Continue to snack 40FRESH
Make a list of breakfast items you need to replace
10. Donuts
While you can make donuts using only 40FRESH Always and @Home ingredients, we’d be violating the @Home code of moderation when it comes to oil and sugar. If you really feel like you can’t live without donuts, the linked recipe would be okay to make on occasion (like once every few months). However, we would recommend avoiding them entirely. The boxed donuts you get from the grocery store, on the other hand–don’t even bother. These are firmly in the Nope category.
Alternatives
If you need a sweets fix, fresh fruit is always a great replacement option.
9. Breakfast Sandwiches
Unfortunately, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the breakfast sandwich you’ve been tossing back falls into the Nope category. It’s theoretically possible to cobble something together using Limited ingredients, but this still fails to pass the “taco rule” ratio of Limited ingredients to Always ingredients. It’s best to avoid these and pick an alternative.
Alternatives
Feeling the need for something a bit more hearty? Try a breakfast wrap using Limited friendly tortillas like these ones that are made using only flour, water, salt, baking soda, and oil.
8. Bagels
When it comes to 40FRESH, the answer on bagels is just as complicated as the debate between boiled vs. baked bagels (boiled, obviously!). You can certainly make them at home using Always and reasonable amounts of @Home ingredients. If you have a local bagel shop, chances are they’re using a similar combination of ingredients for plain bagels. However, once you start getting into the flavored bagels, things get a bit tricker. If you’re eating out, it’s best to stick to the plain bagels or ask if you can get a list of the ingredients before making your selection.
Store bought bagels are a much different story. Like many foods packaged and sold in grocery stores, they are typically full of preservatives and other additives that enhance their shelf life and flavor. Depending on where you shop, you might be able to find a freshly baked option that would be similar to what you’d get in a bagel shop, but these are few and far between. Check the ingredients list before buying. Most likely, it’s a Nope.
Alternatives
Need your bread fix? Another option to consider is making your own bread at home. Add some avocado and a bit of cracked salt and pepper to make it really interesting!
7. Breakfast Bars
Bad news on this one, folks. Almost without exception, every breakfast bar you find at the grocery store falls firmly into the Nope category. It doesn’t matter if it’s a granola bar, cereal bar, fruit bar, or whatever bar. Though convenient, all of the options we’ve looked at have ingredients that rule them out as a 40FRESH breakfast item.
Alternatives
The good news is that it’s easy to make your own granola at home. Try this recipe for some delicious crunch that makes for an incredible yogurt topping.
6. Home Fries & Hash Browns
In the frozen section, you’ll find a number of options for hash browns and breakfast potatoes. Regardless of which one you pick, all of the options we looked at had one or more ingredients from the Nope category. While it’s possible to make your own at home, most recipes call for the potatoes to be fried in oil. Similar to donuts above, this violates the moderation code for @Home ingredients.
Alternatives
You don’t have to completely ban potatoes from your breakfast menu. Give this quick and easy recipe for oven roasted potatoes a try as a 40FRESH friendly substitute.
5. Cereal
Ah yes, the classic American breakfast: cereal. Or, if you’re a college student, breakfast, lunch, or dinner! No way to dance around this one. Check the ingredients for any box of cereal and you’ll see why everything in this breakfast favorite is a Nope.
Alternatives
Cereal might be out of the question, but oatmeal is a healthy substitute. Liven things up by adding in fruit and a touch of honey.
4. Toast
You may recall from your grocery store recon that most packaged breads are firmly in the Nope category. However, you can find freshly-baked breads and occasionally some brands of bread that are made exclusively from flour, water, yeast, and salt. If you really need your toast fix, stick to these breads.
Alternatives
Instead of picking up bread at your local grocery store, consider making your own at home using a bread maker.
3. Eggs
Great news! Absolutely no restrictions on eggs. You can have them hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, poached, basted, or pretty much any other way you can think of making them. If you have a sous vide, we recommend 145 degrees F for the perfect egg. So good!
Alternatives
None needed!
2. Bacon
Bacon lovers, rejoice! This is a Limited menu item. As such, make sure you’re pairing it with other Always items for a balanced meal. Make sure you are picking an uncured bacon free from nitrate and nitrites, like this one. Many bacons have additives that can push them into the Nope category, so make sure you’re checking the ingredients before buying.
Alternatives
None needed. Just make sure to inspect the ingredients.
1. Pancakes
Topping the list is everyone’s favorite weekend breakfast treat: pancakes! This one is a bit of good news and bad news. The bad news is that a lot of popular pancake mixes contain ingredients that pretty clearly stick them in the Nope category. On the bright side, it’s not too hard to make your own from scratch using only Always and @Home ingredients.
Where it’s easy to get into trouble, however, is with toppings. People living outside of Vermont will know that many syrups are made with high-fructose corn syrup. In Vermont and pretty much all of Canada, I’m pretty certain you’d be thrown in jail for calling anything other than maple syrup “syrup”. You’ll need to stay away from the berry syrups and chocolate chips as well.
Alternatives
Use a recipe like this one to enjoy pancakes at home. Use a modest amount of real maple syrup or top with fresh fruit instead. Unsalted peanut butter makes for another savory option.
What Breakfast Items Do You Need to Replace?
Go ahead and scan through your food journal and make a list of all the breakfast items in your regular lineup that you’ll need to swap out with healthier alternatives. In the coming days we’ll be covering more breakfast ideas for the weekdays and weekends. You’re going to be putting together a new, 40FRESH breakfast menu for yourself.
Up Next...
Keep up the fantastic work with your drinks and snacks! And go ahead and give yourself another X on your accountability calendar. If you’re struggling with cravings, go back and review some of the ways to solidify your system from day 10. The next several days will focus on recipe ideas. Feel free to experiment with these as we go or start researching ideas on your own!