Navigating the Continental Breakfast
While on vacation (or traveling for business), you may be treated to a continental breakfast at your hotel each morning, just like I was while staying in Victoria, BC. The “typical” American continental breakfast has gotten a bad rap over the years with its frosting-covered pastries, oversize bagels, and chocolate-chunk muffins. However, a continental breakfast doesn’t have to be an unhealthy meal waiting to happen. Many continental breakfasts offer healthy fare too– like fresh fruit, yogurt, and whole grain cereals and bread, which gives you some flexibility when you’re trying to eat healthy. Check out my tips below for selecting nutritious foods from a continental breakfast.
My tips for navigating the continental breakfast:
- Survey the scene: Before you even pour yourself a cup of coffee, check out all of the continental breakfast options. Is there a “hot breakfast” option or just cold cereal? Are there only fatty danishes or is a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter an option? Once you know all of your choices, you can make a healthy, informed decision.
- Seek out fresh foods: While not all continental breakfasts offer a fresh fruit salad, most offer some sort of whole fruit. Slice banana on top of your cereal or top your English muffin with apple slices.
- Skip the juice: Typically, the “fruit” juice served at continental breakfasts are loaded with sugar and lacking nutritional value. Unless the juice is freshly squeezed, save your calories for another vacation splurge, and stick to coffee, tea, or water with your breakfast.
- Pick your protein: After selecting fresh foods, I plan my protein next. Protein is what will gives my breakfast some staying-power until my next meal. My favorite protein picks, often found at continental breakfasts, are low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, or peanut butter.
- Select high-fiber, whole grain carbs: Of course, we all know to stay away from those humongous muffins and frosting-covered pastries, but most breakfasts offer healthy options, like packets of instant oatmeal, shredded wheat, whole grain bread, English muffins, muesli, and low-fat granola.
- Use one plate: Continental breakfasts are often unlimited, but there is no need to eat that way. Start with one plate (or bowl) and make your selections accordingly. If you’re still hungry after you’ve finished your first serving, you can always go back for more. Having too much food sitting in front of me encourages me to eat it, even when I am not hungry.
- Take healthy snacks to go: If my continental breakfast offers a number of nutritious options, I always make sure to take a couple of healthy snacks to go. I might as well save a few bucks and be prepared with a nutritious snack when my stomach starts to grumble.
My top healthy picks at a continental breakfast:
- Fresh fruit
- Low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese
- Oatmeal
- Peanut butter
- Whole grain bread
- English muffin
- High-fiber cereal or muesli
- Bran muffins (of a reasonable size)
- Tomato/vegetable juice
- Coffee or tea
The continental breakfast at our hotel had a number of healthy options from which to chose. Here’s what I picked (and their approximate measurements):
- 1 cup fresh fruit, mostly citrus
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup muesli
- 1 small raisin bran muffin
- Coffee with milk and 1/2 packet of sugar
I ate the same breakfast on the second morning of our stay, but I substituted the coffee with hot black tea. (Man, I over-did-it with the bronzer that morning!)
I took a second cup of tea to go as well as a banana for later– both of which were healthy and free options!
So, you see, continental breakfasts don’t have to be a disaster waiting to happen if you know what healthy options to chose!
What are your top healthy picks at a continental breakfast?
Posted by: Tina 37 comments
Posted in: Uncategorized
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Great tips!!! I love fresh fruit and yogurt at continental breakfasts! Also a big oatmeal fan
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
That’s awesome insight Tina…and a WHOLE lot more self control than I would ever be able to show!!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Great choices!! I usually go for cereal or oatmeal with fresh fruit and yogurt. If they have eggs, I will usually grab some for extra protein! I also love stashing the free fruit for later!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Great tips! Though even small bran muffins can be deceiving and super high in fat and calories, they are delicious once in awhile!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Great tips! I usually have oatmeal and a banana. If they have an omelet station, I always have that too. I love taking the little cereal boxes to go!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Wow, I just went through the same situation. My son made a traveling all-star team and we had to stay at a hotel this past weekend. I was thankful to see cheerios and packets of instant oatmeal. They also had small peanut butter packets and bananas. So I was able to make my usual bowl of oatmeal. I always grab extra apples and bananas for later in the day. But I won’t lie, my son loved the chocolate chip muffins!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
great choices!
I’ve never seen a continental breakfast like the one in these pictures, though.
Usually, if it’s a smaller one, I try to find ww toast + pb, hard boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt, cold cereal, etc. I think the best tip is definitely looking to see what all they have before choosing.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I love hotel breakfasts! For some reason, they just symbolize “vacation” to me. I usually try to find some sort of fresh fruit, a hardboiled egg, and some whole wheat toast with pb & jam.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I’m big on egg white omelets, if available. Lots of fresh fruit, a piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter or oatmeal.
Thanks for addressing this topic!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I’m a big fan of getting peanut butter and apples – both to eat for breakfast and to snack on while exploring!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Make your own waffles is really what kills me at breakfast buffets – I can’t resist them! If that’s not an option, I usually have cold cereal with fruit.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Great tips!! I always go for PB with an English muffin and lots of fruit
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Love this post!! Definitely going to use it for my breks on my honeymoon coming up.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Love this post! It can be so hard to navigate these things especially if you are like me and very easily sidetracked from good intentions! I’m so good at managing my diet when I’m alone and/or have time to plan but take me out of my routine and into a choice-a-rama vacation situation like this and before I know it I’ve wolfed down a greasy fry-up with a gigantor muffin on the side!
Wise words worth remembering! Thanks!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
What hotel did you guys stay at?? And now that you have been to Victoria, would you recommend it to others travelling there?
The muffin looks delicious…I LOVE baked goods.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
@Skye: We stayed at the Regent Victoria. It’s a nice hotel with an excellent location– right near all of the good stuff!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I usually don’t do continental breakfast, but I would have probably gone after all of those yummy foods you just suggested should be avoided (lol).
But I think that’s why I prefer to go out for breakfast, so when booking a vacation I don’t do the all inclusive stuff. Usually my standard is what I would eat at home – toast, and egg white veggie omelet or scrambled eggs, sausage/turkey bacon, and coffee.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Great picks. The hotel I stay at in India has a full breakfast, I find myself eating omelets every day, or dosas! Fresh fruit is always available and I go for that too. Papaya and mango in season in India is incredible. And the bananas in India are smaller, sweeter and much softer than the Central/South American bananas we are familiar with here.
Did you make it to Stanley Park while you were in Vancouver?
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
That breakfast buffet looks amazing! I tend to overload on fruit whenever I have a continental breakfast, but I also have yogurt. Sometimes you simply can’t resist those chocolate chip muffins though…
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Your breakfast actually looks more delicious than anything else I would want at a continental breakfast. Nice job!!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Great tips, I usually don’t do so well at any kind of buffet, but I’m going to keep this in mind next time!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Thanks for the great tips as summer time is vacation time and I usually spend more time in hotels than usual… I will try them next time I am tempted to load up on the pastries
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I love continental breakfasts and I actually enjoy the “challenge” of making a healthy, balanced assortment of what is offered!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
It’s so hard to stay away from those delicious pastries and muffins! You did great
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Wow! I just ran into your website. I love it! I am going to start following you.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
What great tips!!!
I haven’t gone to a place that offers continental breakfasts in a very looong time. But I can recall always going for the cereal with lowfat milk and a side of fruit.
Now, if I were to go, I’d need something a bit larger, and would probably go with oatmeal and a sliced banana with pb if I could, along with a side of milk for extra protein.
Your breakfast choice looks very delicious, by the way.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Great tips!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Thanks! It took me a while to get over the all-you-can-eat “It’s Free!” mentality. Taking some stuff to go is great advice – makes me feel like I’ve taken “full advantage” of the buffet!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I LOVE continental breakfasts! I usually spread PB on whole what toast and top it with a banana. I dont eat PB otherwise so it is a treat for me!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
these are great tips. i usually go for yogurt, fruit, nuts, and cereal or toast. eggs are a good option too. and i always steal apples or bananas to go!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Great post! When The BF and I were in Montreal we enjoyed a wonderful continental breakfast at our little hotel – a full menu full of fresh fruit and whole wheat toast/pancakes/whatever! It was awesome
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
My favorite continental breakfast includes a few slices of toast w/ peanut butter and a sliced banana! PLUS a couple bites of their pancakes, other fruit, oatmeal, etc!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Those are great tips. Thanks for sharing!
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 12:09 am
Excellent tips, Tina! Whenever I visit a continental breakfast, I almost always go for the oatmeal if they have it, either in the big steaming vat (ever notice that it tastes so much better that way?) or packets to be prepared in the microwave. Add some nuts and fruit, and you’ve got a pretty stellar meal:)
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 12:13 am
Love the tips!
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 8:23 am
I love it when a continental breakfast has packets of oatmeal and hot water to make it with. I like topping mine with some fruit and peanut butter if they have it. It’s almost like being at home that way and it definitely keeps me healthy and full too
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 10:31 am
Two weeks ago, my boyfriend and I stayed at a place with a continental breakfast. They were totally out of fruit by the time we got down there, but luckily we had packed our own bananas!