- checking login information
Loading...Top 12 Dangerous Muffins
- Melissa Breyer
- May 27, 2010
- 5:20 pm
- 400 comments
Even though most of us know that, really, muffins are just cupcakes for adults, for many they are still the go-to to-go breakfast. Faced with the choice between a meaty-eggy fast food sandwich and a muffin, it’s pretty safe to assume that the healthy eater will opt for the muffin. But is it really the healthier option? Looking at the nutritional content of muffins from the country’s top coffeehouse chains, I was shocked (shocked!) to see some of the numbers behind many an earnest-seeming muffin.
Although muffins don’t carry the same load of saturated fat and outrageous levels of sodium that other fast-food breakfasts do, they make up for it in calories and sugar. Would you believe that one of the muffins I found has only 40 calories less than that of Carl’s Jr Breakfast Burger–which is not just a burger, but a burger with a fried egg, bacon, American cheese and hash brown nuggets!
The World Health Organization recommends limiting sodium consumption to under 2000 mg per day for the average person–most of these muffins have at least 25 percent of that. Meanwhile, the American Heart Association recommends that the average woman should consume no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day–all but one of these muffins exceed that, some by more than 100 percent. And as for calories, well…the calories. The most benign of these muffins has almost the same amount of calories as an Egg McMuffin with a side of hash browns.
Though in all fairness to the muffin, the lack of meat and saturated fat does make them shine in comparison to, say, the breakfast burger–just be cognizant that by opting for one of these (or similar) muffins in the morning, you should skip dessert after dinner since you’ve already had it for breakfast.
Read more: Diet & Nutrition, Eating for Health, Food, General Health, News & Issues, breakfast, calories, muffins, sodium
Melissa Breyer
Melissa Breyer is a writer and editor with a background in sustainable living, specializing in food, science and design. She is the co-author of True Food (National Geographic) and has edited and written for regional and international books and periodicals, including The New York Times Magazine. Melissa lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
people are talking
Good tips.
Lesser known but all the same breathtaking!
Thanks
Magical herbs!
II use baking soda and vinegar to do most of my cleaning. Thanks for this information & reminder…
400 comments
+ add your ownOk, thanks God I don't like muffins... I hate them x.x but it's really scary the amount of calories on them... :S
WOW! I'm blown away! I usually choose a muffin over a bagel or doughnut! Guess I'm probably better off just having what I really want! What gets me is the names - I would (and have) fallen for every one thinking it was a better choice!
Huge, gigantic muffins? Yes, these should be healthy!
Excellent article. Thanks for sharing.
I knew they were high in calories but I am SHOCKED that a muffin can hold over 700 calories, and more than a day's serving of sugar, as well as more than a meal's worth of fat and sodium.
over processed, overtly sugared and fatted ... could this describe the American Consumer? these muffins are definitely an indulgence ... thanks for the info!
guess I'll stick to making my own...
Saintly Bran Muffins paved the way for these health food impostors and condensed cakes, to sneak in to our health food consciousness. Thanks for bringing us the facts.
love muffins.
Noted!!
login to add your comment
use your care2 login
add your comment