Essence Lindsey was in a time crunch on her way from her Roseland home to work on Michigan Avenue.
She darted inside the McDonald’s behind the Wrigley Building and minutes later emerged carrying her order. There was no time to waste on sitting down and eating there at 9:40 a.m. on a recent Friday morning. Lindsey, 24, said she buys hotcakes, hash browns and orange juice about twice a week from the Golden Arches when she’s rushing.
Why?
“It’s convenient.”
In Chicago and nationwide, time and convenience often win out over nutrition for breakfast, estimated to be an $81 billion a year industry. While grab-and-go options are easy, they can come at the expense of too many calories and not enough nutrients, health experts say.
People who don’t have time to cook at home look for quick, portable, high-value and low-priced options, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic Information Services, a food service consultant based in Chicago. When people buy breakfast during the week, 75 percent take it to go, according to a Technomic report released in November.
“When you’re in an urban market, you see that more often. You come out of a train station, you’re grabbing something you’re going to consume at the office,” Tristano said. “If you’re coming from the burbs, you’re also stopping at drive-thrus on the way in.”
And it’s likely you’re eating a breakfast sandwich. More than 50 percent of on-the-go breakfast orders are breakfast sandwiches, said Harry Balzer, who studies eating habits and is vice president of the NPD Group, a market research company. It’s a filling meal that ties in the most popular breakfast items consumed including eggs, toast and meat, he said.
Kevin Lota, 21, prefers a healthier option: breakfast bars. Every day when Lota arrives at the Aon building, he stops by a convenience store to pick one up.
“I’m always just tight on time. If I had the chance to eat breakfast, I would,” said Lota, a student and public relations intern who lives in Rolling Meadows. He tries to get as much sleep as he can, so he wakes up with enough time to shower before he rushes out the door to catch the Metra and get to work by 9 a.m.
At least Lota is eating breakfast. Nearly six out of 10 people say they skip breakfast at least once a week, according to Technomic’s Breakfast Consumer Trend Report. Among the excuses: not hungry, time constraints and trying to lose weight.
But skipping breakfast won’t help with dropping pounds, local dietitians said.
Those who skip breakfast tend to overeat while people who eat breakfast consume fewer calories throughout the day, said Gretchen Peyton, a registered dietitian at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and spokeswoman for the Illinois Dietetic Association.
And remember when Mom told you breakfast was the most important meal of the day? Nutritionists say she’s right.
Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian, calls breakfast the “prevention meal” because it prevents overeating and over-snacking. “You have better control of your appetite for the entire day,” said Blatner, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
From parfaits to breakfast sandwiches, the options are endless when it comes to grabbing a to-go breakfast on the run. RedEye took a look at some of the popular eats and examined whether your morning meal is doing your body good.
———-
lvivanco@tribune.com
– – –
Smoothies/shakes
The good
Stick to the low-cal menu options that have no more than 250 calories, Peyton said.
The bad
A liquid breakfast may not be filling and can lead to snacking mid-morning, Peyton said. Avoid super-sized portions because calories can add up fast, Blatner said. Opt for low-fat milk or soy milk as the base instead of high-sugar, high-calorie juices, sherbets, ice cream or frozen yogurt. This isn’t the best breakfast choice, she said, because sugar in smoothies tends to run high and protein tends to run low.
Breakfast bars
The good
They can be a good source of fiber and protein. Blatner said to look for bars with at least 3 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein. Adding a piece of fresh fruit will boost the nutrition and fullness of the meal, she said.
The bad
Some bars are “candy-bar like,” Peyton said. Make sure your bar contains no more than 8 grams of sugar, she said. Eating just a breakfast bar can leave people feeling unsatisfied, Blatner said. And keeping a stash of these bars at your desk also can lead to overeating.
Breakfast sandwich
The good
Clearly, this is the cheap option. A buck can get you a breakfast sandwich at many fast food restaurants. For a healthier option, make a breakfast wrap with a whole-wheat tortilla, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions and tomatoes and skip the meat and cheese, Peyton said.
The bad
Croissants, biscuits and bagels are “belly busters,” Blatner said, because they’re full of fat and high in calories. Instead, stick to English muffins or flatbreads without sausage or bacon, or choose Canadian bacon because it has fewer calories and fat, she said. Bagels offer no fiber and can be loaded with butter or cream cheese for a whopping 400 calories per serving, making it “not much better than a piece of chocolate cake,” Peyton said.
Oatmeal/cereal
The good
Blatner calls oatmeal the “best breakfast choice.” It’s full of whole grain nutrition and fiber to keep stomachs satisfied for hours, she said. If you use instant oatmeal packets, make sure there’s 3 grams of fiber per packet, Peyton said. When choosing a cold cereal, Blatner said to look for brands that have whole grains listed first in the ingredients, with 150 calories and at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Top it with low-fat milk and fresh fruit for balanced nutrition, she said.
The bad
Don’t go overboard on the topping portions to keep calories in check, Blatner said. Avoid large amounts of syrup and brown sugar on your oatmeal, Peyton said. If you add nuts or dried fruit, only use one tablespoon of each, she said. Beware of any sugary cereal and avoid ones with more than 10 grams of sugar per serving. Remember: A serving size is one cup, but most cereal bowls hold two to three cups of cereal, she said.
Yogurt/parfait
The good
The best parfaits rely on fresh fruit for sweetness instead of honey, fruit syrups or jellies, Blatner said. Yogurt has calcium, protein and probiotics (which help with digestion). As long as the yogurt is fat-free or low-fat, it’s a good choice, but be sure to add fruit, Peyton said. If you’re making your own, try a 6-ounce non-fat Greek yogurt, which is high in protein and filling, with two tablespoons of low-fat granola and a half- or three-quarters cup of fresh fruit, she said.
The bad
The granola topping can be a secret source of added fat, sugar and calories, Blatner said. Keep parfait portions small because even low-fat vanilla yogurt can have a lot of added sugar, she said.
Pastries/doughnuts
The good
They’re so delicious — chocolate, powdered, glazed, oh my. And a box of doughnuts can be cheap.
The bad
This category is the most common bad breakfast culprit, Peyton said. A blueberry muffin is 500 calories, she said. Blatner said she’d rather have people skip breakfast than eat junk food like doughnuts. “A doughnut is the worst because it’s the lethal combination of both fat and sugar without providing any vitamins or minerals,” she said.
