Fast Food Breakfast Dos and Don'ts
-- Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day -- it boosts your metabolism for the day and can help with weight control, cognitive function and nutrient intake, says Heidi Skolnik, a contributing editor to Men's Health magazine.
When you're on the run, grabbing something quick at the drive-through window can be pretty tempting. But Skolnik warns that those fast-food choices pack a wallop in fat and calories, and don't offer much nutritional value.
Here's what you're getting when you eat some of those popular fast-food choices:
Arby's Sausage Biscuit
390 calories, 25 grams of fat
Equal to: 4½ Hostess chocolate cupcakes
McDonald's Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle
560 calories, 32 grams of fat
Equal to: McDonald's hamburger, small fries and Caesar salad
Dunkin' Donuts Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant Sandwich
650 calories, 45 grams of fat
Equal to: Six glazed Dunkin' Donuts
Burger King's Enormous Omelet Sandwich
760 calories, 50 grams of fat
Equal to: Four slices of Domino's cheese pizza
A healthy fast food choice:
Subway's Vegetable and Egg Wrap
155 calories, 12 grams of fat
Leaves you room for an orange juice on the side, for extra nutrients.
ABC News contacted these fast-food restaurants about their high-calorie breakfasts. Their response was that they offer healthy alternatives to their high-calorie fare and that consumers must make a choice about what to eat.
Skolnik offered tips on how to cut calories and fat in your breakfast food choices:
Choose an English muffin over a croissant, which is filled with butter.
Cut the fillings. Don't choose egg, cheese and meat -- pick just two.
If you want meat, choose leaner Canadian bacon over sausage.