Many office ladies (OLs) like to buy breakfast at Western fast-food restaurants, such as hamburgers, fried chicken wings, french fries, etc. Although delicious, Western breakfasts contain significantly more calories than Chinese breakfasts. The meat in hamburgers, the oil in chicken wings, or the french fries are seriously high in oil, so it's no wonder they turn to fat. Moreover, there's only a thin slice of lettuce in a hamburger, and the vitamins it provides are far from enough to meet the body's needs.
Western Breakfast
Suggestion: If you choose a Western breakfast, you should add fruits or vegetable soup to maintain a balanced nutrition and ensure the intake of various nutrients.
Many MM's (young ladies) replace breakfast with fruits or vegetable juices to lose weight. Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, which is good for cleansing the intestines and detoxifying, and they do have a weight-loss effect. The sugar in fruits is mostly simple sugar, which can be directly absorbed to provide the body with energy. However, the energy they provide is limited and cannot meet the demands of morning work. Eating only fruit can easily make you hungry, which in turn may cause you to consume more calories.
Fruits, Vegetable Juices
Suggestion: The energy provided by fruits and juices alone is not enough to meet the body's needs. It's best to consume some carbohydrates to supplement sufficient energy, such as Chinese steamed buns or century egg and lean pork congee.
Traditional MM's mostly choose Chinese breakfast foods, buying a shaobing (sesame seed pancake) and youtiao (fried dough stick) on their way to work. In fact, youtiao is extremely high in fat; one stick has 220 calories. Youtiao is a high-temperature fried food that absorbs a considerable amount of oil after being fried, making its fat content seriously excessive. Furthermore, nutrients are destroyed, and carcinogenic substances can be produced, so it is not suitable for long-term consumption.
Shaobing and Youtiao
Suggestion: Chinese breakfast foods like shaobing and youtiao should not be eaten more than once a week. Breakfast must be paired with vegetables or fruit, and the day's lunch and dinner should be as light as possible, avoiding fried, pan-fried, or stir-fried foods.
Office workers often keep snacks at home or in the office, such as rice crackers, biscuits, chocolate, etc., for emergencies, and some even have them for breakfast. This is actually quite unhealthy. Most snacks are dry foods, which are not good for digestion and absorption for the body, which is in a semi-dehydrated state in the morning. Moreover, snacks like biscuits are mainly made from grains. Although they can provide energy in a short time, they will soon make you feel hungry again, and blood sugar levels will drop significantly as noon approaches.
Snack Breakfast
Suggestion: It is not advisable to replace breakfast with snacks, especially not too many dry foods. Breakfast foods should be chosen for their high water content.
Some MM's, for the sake of convenience, rely on a cup of instant noodles to get through the entire morning. Although instant noodles are convenient, quick, and delicious, most are fried and have a very high fat content. The soup seasoning often contains MSG, and eating too much is harmful to health. Furthermore, the dehydrated vegetables in instant noodles cannot provide vitamins and fiber, and eating too much can easily lead to constipation.
Instant Noodles
Suggestion: People who like instant noodles can choose non-fried options, such as rice vermicelli, macaroni, or glass noodles, and it's recommended to use less soup seasoning. Additionally, eat more vegetables, fruits, or meal replacement products to help expel waste, such as a fruit and vegetable fiber meal replacement powder.