An English muffin is a breakfast staple with one-half counting as a full serving of grain, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid. These round, yeast-leavened breads can be served toasted with butter, cream cheese or peanut butter, filled with sandwich ingredients or even made into a quick pizza. English muffins come in a variety of flavors, including plain, raisin and wheat or whole grain. Understanding their nutrition information can help you determine how to make them part of a healthy eating plan.
Calories and Macronutrients
One English muffin contains between 120 and 140 calories, depending on the brand and type. English muffins are a source of carbohydrates, the main energy source for the body, with 25 to 29 g per serving. English muffins provide just 1 g of fat and 1 g of protein, making them an insignificant source of these nutrients.
Considerations
The Institute of Medicine advises you to consume a minimum of 20 percent of daily calories in the form of fat to maintain proper health. Too much saturated and trans fats may cause weight gain and increase your risk of heart disease, but healthy, unsaturated fats should be part of your diet to support hormone production, healthy skin and hair and vitamin absorption. Include small amounts of olive oil, nuts, avocados and seeds along with your low-fat meals to make sure you obtain at least a minimum amount of fat for health.
Minerals
English muffins offer between 9 and 17 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for calcium, based on a 2,000 calorie diet, with wheat varieties offering in the higher range. Whole wheat English muffins are also higher in several other minerals, with 12 percent of the RDA for magnesium versus 3 percent in plain muffins, 59 percent of manganese versus 14 percent, 38 percent of selenium versus 18 percent and 7 percent of copper and zinc, versus 4 percent. Because plain English muffins are made with enriched flour, they offer 14 percent of the RDA for iron, versus just 9 percent in whole wheat varieties.
Vitamins
Plain English muffins are also enriched with additional B vitamins, so they provide 18 percent of the RDA for thiamin, 8 percent for riboflavin, 12 percent for niacin and 13 percent for folate. Whole wheat muffins provide just 13 percent of the RDA for thiamin, 5 percent for riboflavin, 11 percent for niacin and 8 percent for folate. English muffins also offer between 2 and 5 percent of the RDA for vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid.
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