We all need a complete breakfast to help us power through the day. Skipping it means you're 450 percent more likely to end up overweight or obese, according to recent studies.
These healthy, delicious breakfasts will keep your belly full and flat at the same time:
#1 BEST BREAKFAST SANDWICH
Panera Bread Breakfast Power Sandwich
330 calories
14 g fat (6 g saturated)
830 mg sodium
Panera’s menu provides plenty of opportunity to ruin your morning, but with this sandwich the chain has hit all the right keys. Ham, egg, and cheese are arguably the best breakfast-sandwich stuffers known to man, and instead of the starchy bagels and ciabatta used on most of the menu, this one is built with whole-grain bread. That brings in 4 grams of belly-filling fiber, and along with the 23 grams of protein, it’s enough to ensure you stay full until lunch!
#2 BEST OMELETTE
IHOP Simple + Fit Spinach, Mushroom & Tomato Omelette w/ Fresh Fruit
330 calories
12 g fat (5 g saturated)
690 mg sodium
Omelettes can be a healthy and delicious start to the day, but the tendency at chain restaurants is to befoul them with copious amounts of cheese and a butcher shop’s worth of meat. IHOP’s Simple + Fit Omelettes are made the way all omelettes should be—with simple, fresh ingredients that, in this case, give you 5 grams of fiber and 28 grams of protein. Which of course begs the question: Why does the chain still have the 910-calorie Hearty version on its menu? Steer clear.
#3 BEST ON-THE-GO OATMEAL
Jamba Juice Fresh Banana Oatmeal
370 calories
5 g fat (1 g saturated)
33 g sugars
Whole grains have been shown to help with weight loss, and the whopping 8 grams of fiber this meal delivers will subdue even the most ravenous of stomachs. That’s more than can be said for many of the smoothies on the Jamba Juice menu.
#4 BEST ON-THE-GO BREAKFAST WRAP
Dunkin’ Donuts Egg & Cheese Wake-Up Wrap
180 calories
11 g fat (4 g saturated)
470 mg sodium
Sure, the doughnuts and pastries are tempting, but they're not on Dunkin's DDSmart Menu for a reason: They're dumb choices. The Wake-Up Wraps are a smart choice, and even if you order two of them you’ll be amply rewarded with 16 grams of protein. What do you get for eating two doughnuts? A mid-morning sugar crash and hunger pangs. Even the Sausage and Egg Croissant below is a better choice than doughnuts, but no one should eat 46 grams of fat for breakfast.
#5 BEST STEAK & EGG SANDWICH
Subway Steak, Egg, and Cheese Muffin Melt
190 calories
17 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
600 mg sodium
Hats off to Subway for the line of Muffin Melts that debuted last year. These svelte sandwiches are some of the lowest-calorie breakfasts in the world of fast food. Order two and this combo provide 12 grams of fiber and 32 grams of protein—and you still get to enjoy a steak-and-eggs breakfast for less than 400 calories. That's no small feat. To compare, check out the steak-and-omelette disaster that made our list of the 20 Worst Breakfasts in America.
#6 BEST ON-THE-GO BREAKFAST MEAL
McDonald’s Egg McMuffin with Hash Brown and Coffee
450 calories
21 g fat (6.5 g saturated)
1,130 mg sodium
I know what you’re thinking: a hash brown! Well, sure. Alongside a lean, protein-packed sandwich like an Egg McMuffin, a hash brown isn’t such a bad choice—though you can cut 300 mg of sodium from this meal if you skip it. The Egg McMuffin itself looks and tastes indulgent, but in truth it’s one of the healthiest sandwiches out there (especially compared to those that made our list of these 30 Worst Sandwiches in America). You're saddled with less saturated fat than you'd get from just one of McDonald’s breast-meat Chicken Selects, and it packs in 2 grams of fiber. So enjoy—guilt free.