A diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fresh fruits and vegetables is great for overall health and can even help weight loss. However, this food plan is all about the choices that fall under these categories. Muffins are part of the mistake that can cause weight gain. The average medium sized muffin contains about 430 calories, 18 grams of fat, and close to 60 carbohydrates. This doesn’t include the possible 35 grams of sugar. No wonder they taste so good. For breakfast, as a snack, with tea or coffee, a muffin is a tasty, satisfying food that many approve of. The problem is that a muffin isn’t a nutritionally sound option. Then we to consider the giant muffins from Costco, the ones that taste good from Souplantation (although sadly gone), the one’s the vending machine has, and then there’s always 7-11. They taught and tease use because they are a grab and go food. They’re easy and filling.
Just because a muffin has some blueberries, is gluten-free, or made from scratch, doesn’t mean the waistline isn’t going to suffer. Even if just half, only 200 calories, those calories could have better been served with 3 eggs and a banana or ½ cup of oatmeal. More bang for the caloric content, but we don’t always make decisions based on that rationale. Often times a muffin isn’t the main meal either, although could count up to be this.
Muffins date back to the 18th century coming from either the British or Europeans. It is similar to a raised flat bread, shaped like a cupcake. Some even call it a healthy “cupcake”. The main ingredients are flour, vegetable oil, and of course sugar. Flavors range from chocolate to bran and all the types of fruits in between. It is typically eaten for breakfast and enjoyed a mid-morning snack or for brunch.
Let’s take a look at one of Costco’s chocolate muffins just for shock value. This muffin has 690 calories, which if a person is at a 2,000 calorie intake per day, that’s about 35% right there. This makes up 79 grams of carbohydrates and 16 grams of fat. Then there are only 3 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein. All that considered, that is a lot for one muffin and a lot for just one item. There are other types like banana nut or poppy seed, but these still come in the 600 calorie range. A muffin is therefore an occasional food choice, not one to have with breakfast on a daily basis. As good as they are, there are not good for the body long-term. We all know the derogatory term that can be used for the shape of a persons’ stomach ☹
