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Lauren's List: Seemingly Healthy Breakfast Foods To Avoid

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Many people believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides the fuel your body needs to complete your daily tasks.

If you're like me, you probably reach for coffee and maybe some cereal for breakfast.

But the website "Eat This, Not That" has come up with a list of popular breakfast foods we all should avoid, and I'm sharing a few in today's "Lauren's List."

Some of them might surprise you!

1. Flavored Yogurt: You might think you're doing yourself a favor by grabbing that yogurt pouch before heading out the door, but many yogurts on the market have a lot of sugar and yeast, which nutritionists say renders the probiotics in them virtually useless. Doctors say the acidic ingredients can actually clog up your digestive system. So reach for Greek yogurt or plain, unsweetened yogurt instead.

2. Orange Juice: While you might think OJ is a great source of vitamins, the pre-squeezed and packaged stuff also has a lot of sugar. And because of the acidity, doctors say the sugar ferments and turns to alcohol and acid, which feeds bacteria.

3. Muffins: Muffins, are just cupcakes in disguise! Minus the delicious frosting of course! Bran muffins can be good for you, if you know exactly what's in them. But if you buy them from the store, most have a lot of sugar because bran just isn't that tasty on its own.

4. Egg Whites: While definitely lower in calories, egg whites for breakfast are essentially pointless. Nutritionists say they actually provide zero nutrition other than a bit of protein. And some research shows egg whites have a negative metabolic effect on insulin and blood pressure, since the fat from the yolk isn't around to absorb all that protein.

While the experts say to avoid this stuff, I will admit all four of those options are pretty healthy compared to what I eat each morning at 2 a.m. before anchoring the CBS 4 This Morning show.

I want to know, what are you having for breakfast? Tell me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/laurenpastrananews) or Twitter (@LaurenPastrana). Send ideas for future Lauren's Lists to lpastrana@cbs.com.

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