Those who know me personally know that I’ve had a (toxic) love affair with McDonald’s for ages. No matter how many times I am warned to stay away, I always go back for more. I am completely unfazed by the scary pictures or Supersize Me. When all day breakfast was announced, I practically cried from happiness.
On travel days, I usually opt for a McD’s breakfast, but the good news is that doesn’t mean I’m blowing my diet. Here are some tips to make your McDonald’s breakfast a little healthier.
The Egg McMuffin
The famous breakfast sandwich is the easiest thing to hack if you’re looking for a healthy breakfast option. Here’s a breakdown:
Calories: 300
Total Fat: 12 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 245 mg
Sodium: 730 mg
Potassium: 0 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 29 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 17 g
Option 1: Throw Half of it Away
The first way to make your on-the-go breakfast healthy is to order the McMuffin without cheese and toss the top piece of bread. This simple maneuver spares you six grams of fat and 15 grams of carbs.
Option 2: Pre-Workout Snack
Keep the bread and chuck the cheese. The extra carbohydrates will give you energy and the protein will make sure you adequately build some muscle.
Option 3: Post-Workout Snack
Did you know you can order an Egg McMuffin with an extra egg? Me neither. Take advantage of “all day” by ordering the sandwich with an extra egg. Throw away the top piece of bread and keep the cheese as a little treat.
Option 4: Make them yourself
Making the classic egg patties from McDonald’s is surprisingly easy. At the beginning of the week, spray a Muffin Top Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Crack as many eggs as you want into each mold, then heat it in an oven at 400ºF for ten minutes. Keep the ingredients much more simple (hold the butter and salt) and you’ll slash the calories typically found in its fast-food counterpart.
Source: https://unicornswelcome.com/2018/01/24/healthy-egg-mcmuffin/
Hannah is a business school graduate, New Yorker, and an avid marathon runner. To date, she has finished over ten marathons including the Boston Marathon. With over a dozen years of competitive running under her belt, she began a running blog called www.unicornswelcome.com. She hopes to give runners an honest opinion of what has worked and what hasn't by calling upon her own personal experiences.