Cereal, bagels, toast, oatmeal, granola bars, orange juice, muffins, coffee, yogurt, pancakes, Pop-Tarts, Toaster Strudels, pastries, waffles, french toast, and the list goes on and on, the similarities? Sugar, refined carbohydrates, sugar, sugar, and more sugar. At some point in our history breakfast became more of an indulgence than dessert has ever been.

How the body does its thing:

Let's start with the basics before I really get into my issue with the majority of breakfast foods. When we eat food our body begins the digestion process. Breakdown of the food starts right in the mouth via chewing, and with the help of special enzymes in saliva. The food then heads down through the esophagus to our stomach where further breakdown occurs. In this breakdown process there are a lot of things going on, but for the sake of simplicity and the point of this article, I'm just going to go over the break down of carbs.

Carbohydrates aka sugars and starches, are broken down into glucose molecules. These glucose molecules then enter the bloodstream, to be used for energy or stored for later energy needs. The body is able to sense how much glucose is in the bloodstream at a given time, this is your blood sugar level. If blood sugar levels rise, which they do every time we eat, the body knows to release a hormone called insulin. Insulin comes into the blood and is sort of like a coach for the glucose molecules. It helps the glucose convert to energy for use throughout the body, and helps to organize the extra glucose into cells for storage.

Super-watered-down explanation of Diabetes:

Type II Diabetes happens when the insulin's effectiveness is significantly reduced, and the body tries to amp up insulin production to make up for it. Eventually it can't keep up with the increased production needs, so it's no longer effective at keeping the blood sugar levels balanced. Causes of type II diabetes are almost entirely diet-related.

Type I diabetes is when the body is not capable of making enough insulin, if any, Type I diabetes is something a person is born with and cannot be prevented. This variety is much less common, and is not the type I am referring to in my article title.

Eating sugar, and/or refined carbohydrates:

When we consume food made with sugar, refined carbohydrates, or both, these foods breakdown into glucose much faster than other foods because they've been so processed that they lack complexity to slow the breakdown process. This fast breakdown causes a big spike in blood sugar levels. Spikes in blood sugar require increased production of insulin, when spikes like this happen frequently they can lead to insulin-resistance, which is what causes insulin to be less effective and could eventually develop into type II diabetes.

The thing about breakfast...

Now that the quick little physiology lesson is over, you may have gathered where I'm going with this. Almost every typical American breakfast item, is either high in refined carbohydrates, packed with sugar, or both. Starting the day off with a big spike in blood sugar, is better than no breakfast at all, but not by much and its likely to end with an energy-crash shortly after you get to work or school.

See, you thought you needed those 3 coffees to get you through your morning, but what you really needed was a better breakfast. Let's discuss some of the most common breakfast items, what to watch for, and how you can make better choices.

Toast: White bread is useless, don't get me wrong I love bread, but its something that should be enjoyed in moderation, and by moderation I mean definitely not for breakfast every day. Oh, and surprise! A lot of breads also have added sugar.

Check your ingredient labels. Traditionally, bread only really requires 4 ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and salt. Make sure your bread was made with "whole" grains (sprouted grains are even better), make sure there's no added sugar (or high fructose corn syrup), look for breads that are high in fiber, and avoid ingredients that sound like a chemical. For more on ingredients in bread check this article out.

If you are going to have toast of any kind topping it with fats like avocado, coconut oil, nut butters*,and even grass-fed butter can help slow the breakdown process, and therefore reduce the spike in blood sugar.

Jellies, marmalades, and Nutella are basically sugar, indulge sparingly, and think of it as an indulgence.

*Check your ingredients on nut butters too, the only ingredient should be the nut itself, and maybe salt. Watch out for sugars!

Bagels, English muffins, and croissants: These are similar to toast, but are usually consumed in even larger portions, and likely have even more ingredients. If you can check the ingredients on them, do it. These should not be an everyday breakfast, and when they are topping them with fats just like I mentioned for toast, can be helpful.

Cereal: Almost every cereal there is, is full of sugar and made out of refined carbs. Two servings of Raisin Bran has more sugar in it than a Hershey's bar, and let's be honest no one ever has just one serving of cereal. Despite the fact that cereal is arguably the most popular breakfast choice in our country, it is far from the healthiest choice. Go ahead and look at the ingredients, but don't get discouraged when even the cereals in the "healthy" aisle at the grocery store have added sugar, it's very difficult to find a cereal with simple, wholesome ingredients. Unfortunately cereal should really be thought of as a treat, not a meal.

Oatmeal: Oatmeal can be a great breakfast choice, but you have to make it yourself. Just about every one of the boxes of packaged, flavored oatmeals are full of sugar, and just not worth eating. Make yourself some old fashioned oats with milk, some fresh or frozen fruit, cinnamon and a drizzle of some raw local honey, or maple syrup, it'll taste better, and it will be better for you, try it!

Muffins: A muffin is basically a cupcake with no frosting, although if it has that sugar-covered top, it may as well be frosted too. Treat yourself sometimes, but remember you could just be eating cake instead.

Juices: Most of the juices you might enjoy with your breakfast are concentrated, which means they have significantly more sugar in them than the fruit itself would, and all the fiber of the fruit has been removed so it'll break down into your bloodstream extra quick. Try drinking some water with lemon slices with your breakfast instead.

Granola bars & other breakfast-type bars: These seem like the perfect, quick grab-and-go breakfast food, but they also have so much sugar in them you might as well eat a candy bar instead. If you thought that having a "healthy" breakfast bar completely covered in chocolate was too good to be true, you were right! Check the ingredients, there are some granola bars that are better than others, but most are just really not that great for you.

Yogurt:Similar to oatmeal, yogurt can be a great choice but you've really got to pay attention. Some yogurts are literally more than 50% sugar by volume. Look for organic yogurts that don't have any added sugars (Hint: if it's flavored, it likely has added sugar). Add fresh/frozen fruits, a little vanilla extract, maybe a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of chia seeds, or flax seeds and enjoy!

Pop-tarts, toaster strudels, & other breakfast pastries: These are not a meal, and honestly they're hardly food. If you're eating these for breakfast, you're doing it wrong.

Pancakes & waffles: These are delicious, trust me, I agree - how could they not be? They're sugary, refined-carbs, that are often topped with even more sugar. Save this kind of breakfast for special occasions, and if you can, try making them with whole grain flours, topping with fruit for sweetness, and use pure maple syrup - you might even like it better!

Healthy breakfast ideas:

I'm sorry, I know, I just tore apart almost every breakfast item you ever held near and dear to you heart. It was repetitive wasn't it? Sugar here, refined carbohydrates there, it's infuriating. Trust me, I love them too, but I love my body and my health more. So I'm going to leave you with a few ideas that you could try to fall into breakfast-love with instead:

Eggs! I personally, don't like eggs so when I go out for breakfast I'm pretty much stuck with the measly fruit cup most diners have, if I want to be healthy, but you guys should take full advantage of eggs (organic/local/cage-free...even better!). They can be prepared in such a variety of ways, and you can scramble them up/do an omelette with veggies for an even healthier breakfast.

Speaking of veggies...

Vegetables! Why are vegetables so infrequently thought of at breakfast time? I'm not sure but I'm trying to change that. Ever considered having a breakfast salad? Now that is a great way to start a day, you can even top it with an egg!

Smoothies! These should be your answer to a quick breakfast to-go. Also, I'm going to mention veggies again, I'm a firm believer in the idea that a smoothie without some hidden vegetables is a wasted opportunity, throw a handful of greens in there, or maybe some carrots, or beets. Smoothie bowls are super trendy right now too, pour your smoothie into a bowl and top it with fruits, nuts, and seeds. Look up some recipes and experiment to see what you like!

Whole grains! Sure you've heard of oatmeal, but have you ever tried quinoa, brown rice, or amaranth for breakfast? Make them sweet with fruits, or savory with veggies, eggs, and maybe even some beans - either way they're sure to fill you up and keep you satisfied throughout your morning.

Moral of the story:

Not too long ago Type II Diabetes was known as "Adult" Diabetes, because it was only ever diagnosed in adults. We now live in a time where children as young as 3 years old (?!?!) have been diagnosed with this disease, and1 in 3 people are expected to develop the disease in their lifetime. This is a huge concern, and I think that popular everyday breakfast choices, and misleading health-claims by breakfast food companies have a lot to do with this issue.

The most popular breakfast foods in America today, are comprised of ingredients that do not support people healthfully, and can definitely contribute the development of Type II Diabetes. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, just like your parents always told you, but if the meal isn't a great one it's not going to help you like a breakfast should.

Don't just get up tomorrow and give up all your favorite things, that's not realistic. Just try to change up your breakfast choices, add some healthy variety into the mix, read ingredient labels, and still be sure to really enjoy that stack of pancakes on occasion!

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments section, I'd love to hear from you!