Are Pancakes, Waffles And Muffins Healthy Breakfast Choices? Here’s What Experts Say

Breakfast is often touted as the most important meal of the day, packed with essential nutrients to sustain energy levels. However, there’s an ongoing debate about the health implications of sweet breakfast foods. Options like pancakes, waffles, muffins and maple syrup-soaked French toast are popular choices, but indulging in these sugary delights on an empty stomach may lead to negative effects on one’s health. While these treats can be enjoyable, moderation and balance are key to a nutritious breakfast.

Dr Pranav A Ghody, a professional endocrinologist, cautions that indulging in dessert on an empty stomach may be tempting, but it can have detrimental effects on health. He told HT Lifestyle that this habit can trigger a swift spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased hunger, indigestion and interference with nutrient absorption. Such consequences can undermine the overall benefits of a balanced breakfast, making it crucial to consider the nutritional impact of food choices in the morning.

Delving deeper into the effects of those sugar-sweetened breakfasts, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that sugar has been implicated in poorer metabolic health outcomes and appetite dysregulation. A study comparing sugar and non-sugar breakfasts showed sweet options caused a more rapid glycemic response because of their higher sugar content, thus having an appetite-stimulatory effect at subsequent meals.

“Despite the reduction in post-breakfast sweet desire, daily sugar intake was higher during Sweet compared with Plain. This difference is fully accounted for by the sugar provided in the sweet breakfast. These findings appear to support public health guidelines that advise reducing breakfast sugar in order to reduce total daily sugar, since post‐breakfast sugar intake was similar between conditions,” it adds.

How To Balance Breakfast Options?

With a lot of sweetened breakfast options, one must learn a few basic tricks to cut off on the sugar.

1. Adding chia seeds to the breakfast platter can provide a lot of fibre and protein, especially if combined with milk and nuts.
2. One can cook oats with soy milk for protein, topping it up with a spoonful of almond or peanut butter, bananas and a bit of brown sugar.
3. Moong dal cheela can also help in providing the required protein and fibre. It will keep one full for a longer time and even stabilise blood sugar levels.
4. Flattened rice or poha is low in calories and rich in iron. Preparing it with a lot of vegetables makes it a perfect option for a light and healthy breakfast.
5. Steamed idlis are very low in calories and a good option for non-sugary breakfasts. Combined with sambhar, made from lentils and vegetables, it offers a lot of protein and fibre.