This week I had to travel to Arizona for a work conference. I was looking forward to this conference for a few weeks now,especially since Adam was able to travel with me and I had my partner in crime. The resort was a Westin property, and very lovely. Tons of entertainment, activities, pools, the works. It was basically a small compound that you did not need to leave for anything. It was so exciting to get away from the rainy cool East coast weather we have been having and head south with our bathing suits and shorts packed.
Now, there are really fun aspects about traveling, however there can also be a lot of inconveniences and health pitfalls if you are not careful. This week of travel made me think about the biggest challenge to staying on track with your diet while traveling...The Continental Breakfast...It's a double punch- first, you are stuck at a resort if you don't have a car or taxi handy so you feel the need to utilize the food there. Second, it's free! Anyone who knows me knows that I am frugal and free is probably one of my favorite words. However, when it comes to the "free" breakfast" do know that nothing is free- especially calories. One breakfast splurge at one of these "all you can eat" setting can be worth more than your entire days worth of calories- and added pounds are NOT free, or welcome.
Here are the Basics of the Continental Breakfast:
Carbs (pastries, pancakes, bagels, muffins)
These are always in abundance because they are cheap for the hotel to purchase so they will offer many varieties to fill you up on them (thus not eating the more expensive choices). These are nothing but wasted calories and fat traps. While they fill you up immediately, you will be hungry within 1-2 hours because they spike your sugar very quickly, immediately followed by a sudden drop. #1- sudden spikes and falls in sugar are bad for your health. Your body likes to run at a steady pace, not fast/slow/fast/slow. #2- These items lack protein to keep you full longer. So those pesky hunger pains will be back VERY soon...AVOID THESE CALORIE BOMBS AT ALL COSTS!
Cereals
While these are also carbs I listed them separately because they are not all calorie bombs the way that the carbs listed above are. Some cereals offer a good amount of protein while having a low sugar content. However, you have to choose the right cereals. If the cereal you are considering reminds you of your childhood- it's generally high in sugar. Kid cereals such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Frosted Flakes, etc are riddled with sugar- that's why they are delicious. They aren't any better of a choice than the items mentioned above and will give you that same spike and crash of your blood sugar.
What cereals are good?? Read your labels! Look for the cereal with the highest protein content that has the least amount of sugar. I am a fan of Kashi Go Lean, Whole Grain Total, & Special K Protein but if your only options are Frosted Flakes vs Kix- choose the Kix, it's actually not that bad of a choice.
When mentioning cereal it is equally important to mention milk choices. Any good cereal will quickly become a fat trap if you load it with whole milk. There is WAY too much fat in whole milk to justify using it- more than your body needs or deserves. So here we go again- make the best choice you can. If you have always used whole milk, try going down to 2% (or make a half and half mix out of whole + 2%), etc, etc. The point is to start somewhere with the cutbacks. Trust me, after a while you will be able to cut down a little more each time and next thing you know you'll be using fat free!
Proteins
YAY Protein! We can wait HOURS until we are hungry again! Plus our body is burning more calories to digest proteins so we might as well pull out our skinny jeans!! :)
With any food group there are always good choices vs not so good choices right? Well, the same goes for proteins. While they are your best option to survive today's breakfast- I definitely would not recommend eating items such as bacon or sausage on a daily basis because of their fat content. BUT, today we focus on our breakfast- So, eat your proteins! Eggs are your best choice here because they are the lowest in fat. If you have the choice, hard boiled eggs are your pick- but if they are only offering scrambled or omelette's- go for it.
Meats- anytime turkey is an options with breakfast meats it is your best choice. Generally it will always have a lower sodium/fat content but not always depending on the brand. When you're at home read your labels comparing pork vs turkey and make your best choice lowest fat/sodium choice.
With any breakfast meat- blot it with your napkin to absorb any fat drippings- easiest way to save calories ever. After all, you are trying to eat breakfast, not create a slip and slide out of your digestive tract!
Fruits and yogurts
These are a great choice for breakfast. When dealing with any type of dairy, especially yogurt, just remember to check your labels and make sure there isn't a large amount of sugar or fat in it. Great choices include Greek yogurt and low fat yogurts.
Juices
I discussed fruit juice in a previous post but I think it is worth repeating. There is NO reason to EVER drink fruit juice as a main drink- it is nothing more than sugar water that your body does NOT need to function or to maintain healthy weight. If you just LOVE juice you can have a small shot glass worth but the main fluid that you drink with your meal should be water (or coffee with low fat milk for breakfast).
What should my plate look like?
Half of your plate should include protein sources (eggs, meats, milk)the other half should include fruits, and healthy carbs such as granola, or low sugar cereal
For Example:
2 eggs, yogurt with granola, fruit
1 egg, 2 pieces sausage or bacon, & healthy cereal with low fat milk
Below are a few of the items found on a breakfast buffet and provides a comparison of calories, sugar, and protein. You can utilize this tool to make healthier choices and substitutions. For example- everyone knows I LOVE bagels. So one day I did have half of a bagel (dough from the middle pulled out) with a little cream cheese. Knowing that I wanted to splurge on this item I chose other options with lower calorie and sugar counts (1 egg and 1 piece of turkey sausage) to balance out the entire meal.
Remember, you don't have to sacrifice everything you love- just lower the impact of those thing you enjoy.
Keep happy and healthy!
Carbs
Blueberry Muffin- 120 cal 14g sugar 1g protein
Chocolate Muffin- 360 cal 29g sugar 9g protein
Danish(fruit)- 260 cal 19g sugar 3 g protein
Belgian Waffle (1, plain)- 360 cal 11g sugar 8 g protein
Pancakes (1, plain)- 150 cal 6 g sugar 5 g protein
Syrup- 210 cal 32 g sugar 0
Bagel with cream cheese- 430 cal 5 g sugar 14 g protein
Cereals
Granola 200 cal 14 g sugar 5 g protein
Cinnamon Toast Crunch 130 cal 10 g sugar 1 g protein
Cheerios 101 cal 1 g sugar 3 g protein
Total cereal 100 cal 5 g sugar 2 g protein
Milks
Fat Free 90 cal 12 g sugar 8 g protein
1% 110 cal 12 g sugar 8 g protein
2% 120 cal 12 g sugar 8 g protein
Whole 150 cal 12g sugar 8 g protein
Proteins
Scrambled Eggs 150 cal 1 g sugar 15 g protein
Hard Boiled Eggs (1) 78 cal 0.5 g sugar 7 g protein
Pork Sausage Links (3) 250 cal 0 15 g protein
Turkey Sausage Links 129 cal 0 8.5g protein
Bacon (3) 70 cal 0 7 g protein
Turkey Bacon (3) 105 cal 0 7.5 g protein
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