Breakfast often gets the short end in the morning dash out the door. But skipping breakfast primes your brain to seek out high-calorie foods and means you’ll eat more later. While you probably know a breakfast sandwich from a fast-food chain isn’t a great option either, you’d be surprised by just how unhealthy it can be. A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology
found that eating even one typical fast-food breakfast sandwich can actually change how your arteries perform.
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Doctors at the Montreal Heart Institute had 28 men eat a sausage, cheese and egg sandwich with hash browns—loaded with 50 grams of fat, most of it saturated. Then they checked how well their blood vessels dilated, a function that is linked to the risk of developing heart disease. Within hours, the participants’ arteries dilated 24 percent less than before they had eaten. In contrast, a meal low in saturated fat had no effect: the arteries dilated normally and maintained good blood flow.
The healthier meal, composed of salmon, almonds and vegetables cooked in olive oil, was rich in good fats such as mono-and polyunsaturated fats. The meal may even have a positive effect on the arteries, according to the head of the study, Dr. Anil Nigam.
So what’s the solution when it comes to your morning meal? Whip up one of these healthy breakfast sandwiches. They offer a new twist in fast, portable breakfasts—and with just 3 to 6 grams saturated fat per serving.