Breakfast Sandwich Bomb

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Come on sunshine, what can you show me?!

You know you want to turn that steering wheel into the line up at the drive through.  A quickie breakfast sandwich ought to wake you up, right? A new study says that this is the route to artery disaster, its all over the news. But let take a closer look…

How did they conduct this study?

They took healthy non-smoking university students and tested their VTI (VTI is the velocity time interval-the speed that blood moves through an artery which is an indicator of how healthy the artery is.) before and after a 900 calorie breakfast sandwich containing 50 g of fat.

Come on!

Nobody eats this much without knowing they are doing damage. It just isn’t a reasonable way to eat whether you are at home or in your car.

What did the study show?

Within a couple of hours the VTI was reduced by 15% which is likely a temporary problem. It is true that if you do this over and over for a lifetime, vessels will eventually become less able to move blood effectively.

Come on!

So don’t eat that much and don’t do it often.

So, why were breakfast sandwiches highlighted?

There is nothing in those breakfast sandwiches that is any worse than anything you would make at home! It is strictly a sexy way to tell a story but the truth is that there are better and worse choices no matter where you are eating. 900 calories and 50 grams of fat is an exorbitant amount of food. Interestingly, they only compared this crazy breakfast to “no breakfast” not a “better breakfast”.

Let’s hope this is the next study. It would be interesting to see what happened when the reasonable egg sandwich without the cheese and sausage would have done.

So what do we do? Never eat breakfast sandwiches?

Even the Heart and Stroke Foundation would agree that it is an unreasonable solution to never eat away from home. We know that some kind of breakfast is crucial and most places offer healthier options. Low sugar oatmeal? Yogurt and fruit? Small egg sandwich, no cheese, no sausage?

No matter where you eat, or for which meal, you want a lean, breakfast full of nutrients, protein and fiber and not the calorie/fat bomb that two big fatty sandwiches may offer.

Come on!

So the take home message is “be reasonable, choose the lighter option”. Oh dear, sexy story over.

  My Comments on CTV News…

Theresa Albert

As a Toronto Nutritionist, I love food, try to watch my weight, know more than I want to about healthy living (sometimes I wish I knew less so I wouldn’t feel so guilty when I stumble), am a daughter, sister, friend, mom and wife who worries and scurries the meals onto the table. It is for all these reasons that I completed my nutrition, RNCP designation, wrote my book, hosted my Food Network show, consult with food companies to urge them to get it right (or at least better), constantly write about it, research it, all of this so I can cut through the nutrition and food “news” clutter. Happy to share with friends!