Carnation Breakfast Essentials - Is this a good breakfast for you?

Carnation Breakfast Essentials

"Good Nutrition from the start"
-2x protein of an egg to help build muscle
-2x calcium of yogurt to help build strong bones
-21 vitamins and minerals

So, it's good, right? 

If you are trying to lose weight, it is easy to be deceived - by clever advertising wording, by beautiful packaging, by the idea that instead of eating real food, you could drink a shake. Drinking a shake, in a "dieter's" mind is always better for weight loss than eating.

But is it? 

Let's look closer at the food label: http://carnationinstantbreakfastessentials.com/Products/Bottle/Rich-Milk-Chocolate/Nutrition.aspx

260 calories
5g fat
4g carb
14g protein
230mg sodium
39g sugar

Calories are not too bad, for a breakfast anyway. Fat, carb and protein percentages are ok, not great, but ok. But it is definitely a carb-loaded drink, not a protein drink. 230mg of sodium, a little high if you want to stay in daily intake of 1,500-1,800mg. But the sugar! Daily recommended sugar is 32g a day. This has 39g!

If you look at the ingredient list, sugar is second ingredient, followed by many other forms of sugar.

This is a SUGAR drink. Plain and simple. 

• Yes, it's popular. 
• Yes, it's pretty. 
• Yes, it's packaged to help you eat [or drink] healthy and advertising even shows giving it to your children in order to help them eat healthy in the morning. 

It's a SUGAR drink.

It is NOT a good option for breakfast. When you are trying to lose weight especially. Sugar affects your hormones [ladies] and your metabolism, your ability to burn fat. Better options would be oatmeal, fresh fruit, real food.

Another dead giveaway that this is NOT a healthy option is that it comes in a box. Read the labels. Know what you are putting into your body - and your child's. Don't be fooled by marketing and advertising. You know better, right?


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