Best Supermarket Products for a Country Breakfast

Making biscuits from scratch can take forever, and the majority of the packaged varieties are chock full of trans fats, an artificial fat—invented to make baked goods more shelf-stable—that's been linked heart disease. Each of Mary B's Buttermilk Biscuits carries three grams per biscuit (which is more than a day's worth), and though the nutrition label on Pillsbury Grands! Buttermilk Biscuits reads "0 grams" in the trans fat column, it's made with hydrogenated soybean oil—a dead giveaway that there are traces of the dangerous fat in the biscuits. Thomas' "nooks and crannies" save you from not only the dangers of trans fats, but also about 90 calories. Smear some butter and mashed blackberries on those babies to amp up the flavor and add a hit of sweetness6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Grits, comprised of white rice, butter, salt and milk, are pretty much nutritionally void. Evoke's low-cal, high-protein Muesli, on the other hand, is packed with oats, raisins, fat-incinerating almonds, cranberries, flax and pumpkin seeds, making it the better, vitamin-packed pick. If you feel the flavor of this dish is lacking, amp up the taste—and the fat-burning power — with some of our favorite healthy toppings.

Made with humanely raised animals and minimal ingredients, Applegate's version of the classic breakfast side delivers a solid protein-to-fat ratio. Conventional smoked sausages, however, do not. They also tend to pack in some scary ingredients, like monosodium glutamate (MSG) — an additive known to cause adverse reactions like headaches and nausea in sensitive individuals — and a carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrite, a color fixer added to meat to make it look fresh.

On average, large commercially prepared muffins have 521 calories and 22 grams of waist-widening fat—and with 400 calories and 15 grams of fat, homemade varieties don't fare much better. Ironically, if you want to avoid getting a muffin top, switching to VitaTops Wild Blueberry Muffin Tops is your best bet.

Famous syrup brands like Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth are made with two ingredients we're constantly telling readers to avoid: health-harming high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring. The best syrup for your waistline is a Grade A Medium Amber pure maple syrup like the Maple Grove variety shown here. Since the flavor is so concentrated, a little goes a long way, saving you calories and sugar.

As a rule, waffles are lower in sugar than pancakes. Even so, not all waffles are safe bets for your belly. In fact, just one 7-inch homemade waffle made with traditional ingredients like eggs, flour, milk, oil, sugar and vanilla, has about 220 calories and a quarter of the day's fat. Save calories and time behind the stove by digging into these store-bought waffles instead. They pack 30 grams of whole grains per serving and are made with superfood ingredients like quinoa, millet and amaranth, a gluten-free fiber-packed pseudograin. To take these store-bought waffles to the next level, serve them with a spread of healthy toppings like antioxidant-rich berries, natural peanut butter and slices of banana, or a mixture of sliced and butter-sautéed apples, cinnamon and chopped pecans.

Would you rather spend an extra 45 minutes sleeping or wake up and start shredding potatoes? We know which option we'd go with. Though opting for a packaged variety is a time-saving move, not just any package of potatoes will do when it comes to weight loss and better health. A number of popular brands in the supermarket are laden with health-harming artificial dyes and inflammation-causing palm oils. Our advice: Stick with Mr. Dell's straightforward hash browns. They're made solely of potatoes, the perfect canvas for all of your favorite herbs, spices and add-ins.