Bagels are an extremely popular food choice especially for breakfast. But are they healthy? Well I’m here to expose the truth about bagel with cream cheese calories and health factors as well as alternate breakfast choices.
So how many calories are in a bagel with cream cheese?
A large sized bagel is roughly 130 grams which has approximately 360 calories. In addition with just a bagel, two tablespoons of cream cheese has about 100 calories. This means one bagel with two tablespoons of cream cheese has approximately 460 calories. The bagel also has around 14 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbs and 11 grams of protein.
What is this Equal to?
Well eating 460 calories just for breakfast is equal to 30 minutes of swimming, 45 minutes of jogging, 100 minutes of walking and 60 minutes of cycling based on a 35 year old female that is 170 cm tall and 65 kg. An average person, throughout the day intakes around 2000 calories and by eating just a bagel with cream cheese, you have eaten 460 calories.
Carbs in Bagel
Carbs are extremely important in your everyday diet and eating bagels might just seem to be the solution however there is a difference. When you have whole grains, you are getting a lot of fiber and vitamins and minerals, however in a bagel, there are a lot of refined grains. The refined grains might seem better in taste however they don’t have as many nutrients as whole grains.
Now you may be asking what refined grains are. Well, refined grains are grains that are extremely high in carbs that get digested within your body easily. They can cause various heath issues such as spikes in blood sugar and cravings and unfortunately they are directly linked to obesity!
So if you really like Bagels, I would suggest going with whole grains since you get a lot more vitamins and minerals compared to refined grains.
What are the alternatives?
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because you are breaking the fasting period when you are asleep. So what should I eat for breakfast instead of a bagel?
Just remember, your breakfast should include as many vitamins and minerals as possible.
Fruits, eggs, milk, beans and spinach are all vital foods with a generous amount of nutrients to include in your breakfast.
Bagels do have protein but are full of calories so if you are on a diet they are just not suitable for you!
If you’re on a weight loss diet, then I would suggest you speak to your doctor or specialist to help you design a weight loss diet that will satisfy all your specific requirements.
Healthier way to eat a bagel
The healthiest bagel option is the whole grain bagel because it has fiber, vitamins and minerals with around 250 calories which is much less than the refined grain or white bagel with cream cheese.
You might be thinking about how plain whole grain bagels are but they don’t have to be! You can make a bagel much tastier and healthier by adding toppings like tuna and egg or even add strawberries and peanut butter!
Just remember, an occasional Bagel isn’t going to hurt you!
