The replacements: Eggs, nuts, seeds, rolled oats, plain yogurt<\/p>\n
\u201cProtein bars<\/a> and powders<\/a> can be a great supplement in a pinch, or a horrible excuse for a meal replacement,\u201d says registered dietitian and clinical exercise physiologist Jon Lanman, MS, RD, CEP<\/a>.<\/p>\n Echoing Dr. Dicken\u2019s earlier point, he says that it comes down to why you are using them. \u201cIf you\u2019re rushing to the gym after work and haven\u2019t eaten in hours, a protein shake or bar can save the day. But if it\u2019s replacing a balanced meal, you\u2019re missing out on a lot of other benefits like fiber, healthy fats, and other vitamins and phytonutrients,\u201d Lanman says.<\/p>\n If a protein bar is your go-to breakfast, Lanman and Dr. Landry both recommend replacing it with whole foods that are naturally high in protein, like eggs and Greek yogurt (which is minimally processed as opposed to ultra-processed). \u201cWhen you do reach for a protein bar or powder, check the label. Aim for at least 10 grams of protein, minimal added sugar, and a short list of recognizable ingredients,\u201d Lanman says.<\/p>\n Another secretly processed breakfast food? Instant oatmeal.<\/p>\n \u201cOatmeal has a lot of benefits,\u201d Lanman says. \u201cFor example, it\u2019s high in a particular type of fiber called beta-glucan that can help reduce cholesterol. But instant oatmeal packets are one of the worst breakfast items. They market themselves using the health benefits of oatmeal, but they are typically full of sugar, and have no balance between carbs, fat, and protein. That means it won\u2019t stick with you for very long. They tend to spike your blood sugar, then cause you to crash soon after.<\/p>\n With this in mind, go for rolled oats over instant oatmeal.<\/p>\n Lanman says that flavored yogurt is also sneakily ultra-processed. While it does have protein, calcium, and probiotics, he says that yogurts are also often full of sugar. Instead, he recommends opting for plain yogurt and sweetening it with less processed ingredients like berries and honey.<\/p>\n Lunch<\/p>\n The unexpected sabotagers: Deli meat, refined breads, bottled salad dressings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The replacements: Eggs, nuts, seeds, rolled oats, plain yogurt \u201cProtein bars and powders can be a great supplement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83263,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[22875,1991,102,42045,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-268216","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-affiliate-disabled","9":"tag-food","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-life-advice","12":"tag-nutrition","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}