The 7 Worst Breakfasts for Heart Health (and What to Eat Instead)

We all want to start each day on the right foot. So munching on a morning meal that harms your heart probably isn’t the way to go. Unfortunately, some of the most popular breakfast plates don’t support a strong, healthy heart.

Here, Kylene Bogden, RDN, cofounder of FWDfuel, shares heart-unhealthy breakfast foods to skip (or limit) for long-term well-being.

1. Bacon, Sausage, and Ham

Breakfast meats may make your mouth water, but when you eat them consistently, they can tamper with your ticker over time.

That’s because foods like bacon, sausage, and ham are loaded with saturated fat, Bogden says. Too much saturated fat in your daily diet can increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol, which raises your risk for blocked arteries and cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis.

Case in point: A study in BMC Medicine found that folks who ate more red and processed meat had higher odds of heart disease.

Plus, breakfast meats also contain “an abundance of inflammatory preservatives and chemicals that can disrupt gut health and immunity,” Bogden says.

But if you can’t live without bacon, don’t fret. You don’t have to ban breakfast meats from your plate — just enjoy them in moderation. In other words, think of bacon, sausage, and ham as once-in-a-while treats as opposed to everyday staples.

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You can also opt for alternatives like plant-based breakfast “meats.” Just be smart about your selections. “While some brands are lower in saturated fat than your average breakfast meat, some companies add many chemicals and preservatives [like sodium],” Bogden says.

In this case, it would be healthier to forego the ultraprocessed food and simply choose a leaner meat like turkey, she adds.

For a healthier heart, limit your saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of your daily calories, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

2. Pastries

Between doughnuts, muffins, and croissants, there’s no shortage of salivating breakfast pastries. But these baked goods are no good for your long-term heart health.

Pastries are a “triple-threat combo of saturated fat, refined sugar, and inflammatory chemicals and food dyes, which all cause inflammation in the body,” Bogden says.

Over time, chronic inflammation slowly damages arteries and other small blood vessels and can contribute to heart disease, she says.

3. Sugary Cereals and Granola

Some cereals and granola can serve up as much sugar as a platter of pastries.

“Added sugar, especially refined sugar, is typically the leading ingredient in these products,” Bogden says. Problem is, “sugar can be even more inflammatory than saturated fat when it comes to heart health.”

Here’s why: When you take in too much sugar, your body releases insulin, which stores the surplus in your fat cells. Over the long run, this can result in weight gain and insulin resistance, which are risk factors for even more inflammation and certain metabolic conditions, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“Years of chronic inflammation from the diet are now being linked to [cardiovascular-related illnesses such as] stroke, high blood pressure, and heart disease,” Bogden says.

So if your go-to breakfast includes granola or cereal, be sure to choose varieties with fewer than 4 grams (g) of added sugar per serving.

And it’s even better if it supplies a solid amount of heart-healthy fiber (aim for 5 g). Another analysis in BMC Medicine found that people who ate the most cereal fiber were 19 percent less likely to die from any cause, including heart disease.

4. Flavored Yogurts

While you expect to find lots of sugar in sweets like cookies and cakes, sneaky sugars also lurk in seemingly healthy breakfast foods like yogurt.

Many flavored varieties are full of added sugars, Bogden says. That’s largely because food manufacturers add ample amounts of the sweet stuff to enhance the flavor of packaged foods.

But all this sugar adds up. The average American takes in about 17 teaspoons (tsp) of added sugar daily (which is almost triple the recommended 6-tsp max per day), according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Flavored yogurts also tend to serve up a large dose of food dyes, Bogden says. While artificial coloring may make your foods appear more attractive, they don’t add any nutritional value. In fact, preliminary research has found that dyes can be potentially damaging to your health.

For example, Red No. 3 is no longer approved to be used in food and ingested drug products, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This authorization came after two studies found that exposure to high amounts of the dye resulted in tumors in male lab rats.

While more studies are needed to corroborate these findings in humans, limiting your intake of food dyes might be a safe strategy.

That said, yogurt can be a nutritious addition to your breakfast bowl if you stick to plain and low-fat varieties. Plain Greek yogurt and skyr, which are both low in saturated fat and high in protein, are particularly great options.

Not a fan of unflavored yogurt? Simply stir in your favorite fresh fruit.

5. Pancakes

Are pancakes unhealthy and bad for cholesterol? Pancakes are a popular breakfast plate, but they aren’t always best for your heart.

That’s because they’re often made with refined carbs like white flour, which have been stripped of essential nutrients. Because refined carbs lack adequate fiber, they spike your blood sugar, causing an inflammatory response, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This is worsened if you drown your flapjacks in high-fat butter (which could lead to high cholesterol) and sugary syrup.

But if you’re craving griddle cakes, you can still enjoy them and maintain your heart health, too. Here’s how: Pick a brand made with fiber-rich whole grains and without added sugars, inflammatory oils, and excessive sodium, Bogden says.

Then top your flapjack stack with antioxidant-abundant berries for extra heart-healthy benefits.

6. Hashbrowns

While hashbrowns can be hearty and nutritious (they’re made of mostly potatoes), they’re often prepared with a plethora of nonnutritious ingredients that spell trouble for your ticker. For instance, these taters are frequently fried in inflammatory oils or butter.

Likewise, a side of these spuds are often oversalted. A daily diet with excessive salt raises your risk of high blood pressure, which can contribute to chronic health conditions like heart disease, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

To make hashbrowns heart-friendly, sauté them in a spritz of heart-healthy olive oil along with other vitamin-rich veggies.

7. Bottled Teas and Coffee Products

Your morning beverage can also be a sugar bomb that sabotages a healthy heart.

Matter of fact, sweetened drinks are the primary supply of added sugars in the American diet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

When it comes to bottled teas and premade coffee products, the problem of added sugar often takes the form of high-fructose corn syrup, Bogden says. “Frequent consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has been linked to heart disease,” she says.

Sipping on excessive sugar is also associated with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, kidney diseases, nonalcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities, and gout, a type of inflammatory arthritis, according to the CDC.

The bottom line: Toss the bottled teas and coffees in favor of unsweetened varieties that you brew yourself. In moderation, both tea and coffee (which are abundant in antioxidants) can be beneficial for your heart.

Pining for an extra pinch of flavor? Try adding a squeeze of lemon or a dash of cinnamon.

How to Build a Heart-Healthy Breakfast

When you’re prepping your plate in the morning, Bogden recommends including these heart-protective ingredients:

• A plant-based fat containing omega 3s, which can help lower your triglyceride levels (think canola or olive oils or unsweetened almond butter)
• At least two forms of colorful produce to increase your intake of antioxidants (like greens in your omelet or berries in your oats)
• 15 to 25 g of lean, high-quality protein (such as tofu, eggs, low-fat dairy, beans, or protein powder)

The Takeaway

• Breakfast meats like bacon and sausage, pastries, and pancakes are often high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates. Eating these foods regularly can lead to increased bad cholesterol, inflammation, and damaged arteries, raising your risk of heart disease.
• Sugary cereals, granola, flavored yogurts, and premade bottled teas and coffees are often loaded with added sugars. Too much sugar can cause inflammation, weight gain, and insulin resistance, which are all risk factors for heart disease.
• Make a heart-healthy breakfast with a combination of lean protein, plant-based fats, and colorful produce.