​How To Make French Toast That Won't Leave You With A Sugar Crash

After a week of killing it a the gym and sticking to your healthy meal prep plans, it's easy to justify a weekend splurge like a fat stack of syrupy French toast. "French toast is often the treat of the breakfast world: bread, eggs, oil, cream, maple syrup, and powdered sugar stacked high," says Regan Miller Jones, R.D. Amazing? Yes. Healthy? Not so much. "While a big beautiful stack of French toast may seem like a filling breakfast, all that sugary fuel can quickly burn out and leave you crashing just before lunch," she says.

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To make a healthier french toast from bottom to toppings, make a few simple recipe swaps, says Lisa Moskovitz, R.D. "You're using much less fat and sugar," she says of her version, which relies on coconut oil and spices like cinnamon to provide flavor. "By not adding sugar to the egg mixture and using only minimal amounts of syrup at the end (or not at all), you'll save yourself lots of calories and a blood sugar spike. Using thinly-sliced whole-grain bread over white bread will give your body extra fiber and less carbs, which will help keep blood sugar stable and appetite in check."

Here's Moskovitz's recipe for a healthier French toast treat:

-Whip up 2 to 3 egg whites or 1 to 2 whole eggs in small bowl.

-Heat pan over medium heat and drizzle with coconut oil instead of butter.

-Mix 1 Tbsp of ground cinnamon into the egg mixture (you can also add additional spices, like nutmeg, pumpkin spice, or vanilla extract, into the egg mixture to up the flavor). Stir in 1/3 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk or 1 percent regular milk.

-Dunk thin slices of whole-grain bread (no more than a half-inch thick) into the egg mixture and soak for a few seconds before moving to the heated pan. Let cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes.

-Top with sliced fresh fruit, all-natural peanut butter, Greek yogurt, or a little drizzle of fresh maple syrup.

Looking for more healthy breakfast options? Try our takes on avocado toast:

Even if you're dining out and are feeling that French toast craving HARD, there are some easy things you can do to make that version less sugar-loaded. "Mashed or blended fruit makes a refreshing and naturally sweet topping that you can pile high," Jones says. Like Moskovitz, she also recommends topping with nut butter, fresh fruit, or Greek yogurt, honey, and granola.

Macaela Mackenzie

Macaela MacKenzie is a journalist who writes about women and power. She covers women’s equality through the lenses of sports, wellness, and the gender gap across industries and is the author of MONEY, POWER, RESPECT: How Women in Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism. Mac was most recently a Senior Editor at Glamour where she directed all health and wellness coverage. Her work has appeared in Elle, Glamour, SELF, Bustle, Marie Claire, Allure, Women's Health, and Forbes among other publications.