How healthy is your breakfast?

Fans of avocado on toast can rest assured they're making a healthy choice. Photo / iStock

We all know about the importance of a good breakfast, but finding something that's tasty and filling, as well as healthy, can be tricky.

In a recent article, the Daily Mail analysed a range of popular breakfast foods, including corn flakes, porridge and poached eggs, and gave them a mark out of 10.

The research looked at calories, sugar, saturated fat, protein and salt content.

Here's how your breakfast rates, some of the results may surprise you.

Coco Pops

This chocolately cereal may please the kids, but Coco Pops are sadly one third sugar. A 30g serving (and many would eat a lot more) is the same as two chocolate digestive biscuits.

While the cereal contains 25 per cent of your recommended daily iron, B vitamins and a third of your daily calcium requirement, you would be better off finding those nutrients from a less sugary source.

Rating: 1/10

Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel

These delicious chewy breads are low in sugar, and having salmon with it gives you a boost of protein and healthy omega-3 fats. Choosing a wholegrain bagel will also add more fibre to your diet.

But beware, this type of breakfast has almost a quarter of your daily saturated fat limit, and also contains a whopping 40 per cent salt.

Rating: 6/10

Corn flakes

While it's low in sugar (unless you add some yourself), good old corn flakes are one of the highest GI cereals - meaning it can cause a rapid blood sugar rise and leave you feeling lethargic and hungry again in no time. The type of flakes used are also quite low in fibre.

Rating: 3/10

Blueberry and banana smoothie

Smoothies are often thought of as the healthy choice, but you still need to watch your portions.

Made with one banana, 125g blueberries, and 100ml of almond milk, this particular smoothie has the equivalent of three portions of fruit in one go, and a ton of natural sugar. For more calcium and protein, stick to dairy milk.

Rating: 6/10

Up and Go breakfast drink

They say it contains the same amount of protein, energy and fibre as two Weet-Bix with milk, but while it may be filling, it also packs a sugar punch. One carton contains nearly two more teaspoons of sugar than bran flakes.

Rating: 4/10

Bacon, eggs and all the trimmings

Digging in to a full continental breakfast may sound like a great start to the day, but the amount of saturated fat is more than 80 per cent of the recommended daily intake.

Rating: 1/10

Porridge with golden syrup

The combination of oats and milk provides a great source of cholesterol-lowering oat fibre and bone-building calcium. But by adding golden syrup, the meal becomes as sugar-filled as a bowl of Coco Pops.

Without the syrup, this would get a 10/10.

Rating: 5/10

Avocado on toast

From two slices of wholegrain toast topped with avocado you'll get 40 per cent of your regular daily intake of vitamin E and almost half the recommended fibre you need.

Rating: 8/10

Poached eggs on toast

This is a great, healthy choice that gives you a balance of protein and wholegrains to curb your appetite. Eggs for breakfast have been shown to help cut calorie intake by 400 over the following 24 hours.

Rating: 10/10