? about bagels

laura35

Cathlete
for all you healthy eaters out there, are bagels something you shouldnt eat? I know they're high in calories but I figured if you had one with cream cheese and a piece of fruit that it would be around 400calories or so. that isnt too much for one meal is it? I would like to stay around 1600 -1700 calories a day. I find that eating a bagel helps keep me full longer than anything else ,so far anyway.
 
That is a great question Laura. I love bagels. I buy whole wheat bagels and eat them with peanut butter for an afternoon snack most days of the week. I haven't gained any weight from doing this, but, of course, I haven't lost any either. :)
 
If they are whole wheat bagels then I would certainly say that they are fine. I, ofcourse, am not the *cleanest* eater in the world though so others may have a different opinnion!:p I am pretty good about staying away from white flour products though except for the occasional snafu or treat. :)
 
Good evening.

Bagels are like one of my favorite foods in the world. That being said I only have them on my 'cheat meals'. Why? Because while they aren't "bad" for you, they are EXTREMELY high in calories. The AVERAGE bagel that you get in the store or in a restaurant is 400-500 calories. That's right, not a typo. Then if you add 2 TBS cream cheese that adds another 150 or so calories, assuming its light cream cheese.

Soooo unless you go to the grocery and look for a real healthy lo-carb bagel that is small in size and maybe eat half, you could easily eat 1/3 of your daily calories with a bagel and cream cheese.

I hate that.
Additionally, the whole bread thing; its processed and its flour and it turns to sugar, yadda yadda yadda.....

Overall, not a 'bad' food but not an ideal food to have on a regular basis IF you are trying to lose.

Hope this helps.
Kelly
 
If you stick to the whole grain, whole wheat kind then yes..eat them.Like you said, have 1/2 a one with a orange or something.
I use to have a bagel about 4 x a week.I would pick one up every morning on my way to work and I would eat it with light strawberry creamcheese and I never had problems with gaining weight.There are worse things we could be eating.
Lori:)
 
I have those everything bagels,they are 300calories,have11grams protein,3grams fiber ,chives and onio cream cheese that is 60calories per 2 tblspoons . I get on a kick,dont know why,I normally dont eat bagels but a girl at work the other day brought some in and now I am on a bagel kick.
 
I buy Earth Grains Hearty Wheat Bagels. They have 240 calories, 10 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of fat, and they are not small. They are very soft and taste great with peanut butter.
 
Just a little warning about cream cheese. It has basically no nutritional value at all. I recently read a whole foods cookbook, and the author's description said something like "you may either spread it on a bagel or apply it directly to your hips and abdomen." Just about cracked me up when I read that!
 
Mmmmmmmmmmmm bagels............:9

Well I go by carbs, & bagels are extremely high in carbs, although whole wheat is slightly lower (but still too high for me to eat regularly).

As far as cream cheese goes, if you're counting carbs you're in great shape--there are zero carbs in cream cheese.
 
Several of us like Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss, and one of his best examples of "Instead of this, eat this" is a 5 oz. bagel with 2-1/2 oz cream cheese (650 calories) vs. 4 light pancakes, 4 vegatarian sausage links, 2 tbl. light syrup, and sliced starfruit and persimmon - ALL COMBINED for the same amount of calories!

Moral of the story: a bagel is not your best choice
Just Do It! :)
 
Bagels maybe, cream cheese never. Kelley's bagels sound great, but most bagels are made of white flour and are simple carbs that spike your blood sugar out of whack. I don't see any problem with whole grain bagels if they're truly whole grain ("whole wheat" is not necessarily whole grain). But cream cheese is pure empty fat calories with no redeeming value of any kind. Use lowfat cottage cheese instead, or a controlled amount of peanut butter.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

-Nancy
 
Natural Ovens bagels are high in fiber. I can't remember how many calories but guessing under 250 - might be more like 170. THe also have some Omegas and other things that are good for you. My favorite is their Brainy Bagel.

? on example above - isn't 2-1/2 oz of cream cheese quite a bit? I have gotten 1 oz pkts and not even used that much.
 
> I don't see any problem with whole grain bagels if they're truly whole grain ("whole wheat" is not necessarily whole grain). But
>cream cheese is pure empty fat calories with no redeeming
>value of any kind. Use lowfat cottage cheese instead, or a
>controlled amount of peanut butter.

I agree on both counts (though if it says "whole wheat" as the first ingredient, it IS whole grain. It's when it says "wheat" that it's plain old refined white flour, in most cases). The Natural Ovens bagels sound like the best bet, IMO.

Try to think outside the box when using spreads on your bagel. In addition to the cottage cheese or p.b. idea, how about 1/2 mashed avocado (maybe the same calories as the cream cheese, but infinitely more nutritious); hummus; nut butters like cashew, almond, macademia, etc.; a spread made from a canned beans of your choice (rinsed and drained) with some garlic/onions, parsley, whatever floats your boat, added, then blended until of a creamy consistency).
 
I think bagels are just fine - just strategize about it. Maybe buy smaller bagels, not the ginormous bakery versions. Get a wheat or grainy type of bagel. A little cream cheese or whatever won't kill you. I think that is a decent enough meal.


"you miss 100% of the shots you never take"


Debbie
 
I checked on the Natural OVens bagels. One is 170 calories and the Briny ones have either 5 or 6 grams of fiber. No trans fat and contain lots of Omega 3s. They aren't huge but one is very filling.
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top