HumbleLand
Otter Creek, Lake Cumberland Kentucky
The results of a recent study which were presented at a conference on Experimental Biology in the USA, indicate that eating a proper breakfast is one of the most positive things you can do if you are trying to lose weight. Of course this also applies to all of us, old and young who want to eat a balanced diet.
Advantages of eating breakfast
The study in question analysed the breakfast habits of 19 000
Americans older than 12 years. This investigation formed part of a
mega-study called NHANES III, which was one of the largest diet
surveys to be undertaken in the USA. The results indicate that
people who ate breakfast enjoyed the following advantages compared
to “breakfast skippers”:
- the researchers found that eating breakfast may play a more significant role in weight maintenance than total Kilojoule (kJ) intake;
- “breakfast skippers” tend to gain, rather than to lose weight, because they are more inclined to overcompensate for the loss of kJs at breakfast by eating more fat-rich, high-energy foods later in the day, especially at supper;
- eating breakfast not only increased the daily dietary fibre intake significantly (high fibre diets have a lower fat and energy content than low fibre diets, because foods rich in fibre are generally low in fat and the inclusion of dietary fibre dilutes the energy content of the diet), but also provided more protective nutrients such as vitamins and minerals;
- eating high-fibre breakfast cereals had a positive effect on keeping the Body Mass Index low (BMI = a measure of body weight). People who ate breakfast cereals had an average BMI of 25.5, while persons eating eggs and bacon had an average BMI of 26.7 (BMIs above 25 are indicative of overweight and obesity).
Children and teenagers
Another study presented at the Experimental Biology Conference
reported on breakfast habits in children and teenagers. Once again
the results showed that children and teenagers who ate breakfast
were thinner than their counterparts who skipped breakfast.
Why do people skip breakfast?
There appear to be many reasons why modern people of all ages skip
breakfast. In the USA about 25% of the population skip breakfast on
a regular basis. The figure for South Africa is probably similar,
especially in those of us who have a "western" lifestyle.
Reasons given for skipping breakfast vary and include: lack of time, poor meal planning and the mistaken belief that skipping meals will result in weight loss.
Make an effort
It may take a bit of planning, but it is so worthwhile. The
following suggestions may help you to become a "breakfast eater":
- plan what you are going to eat for breakfast and include these foods on your shopping list;
- set the alarm to go off 15 minutes earlier so that you have time to eat a simple, but nutrition breakfast;
- if you really can’t face food just after rising, then prepare food to take along to work or school which you can eat during the course of the morning.
Examples
A balanced, low-fat, high-fibre breakfast should include the
following:
- a fresh fruit or fruit juice (tip - buy fruit that requires no preparing and is easy to take with to work/school, e.g. naartjies, apples, bananas);
- a high-fibre breakfast cereal (tip - Instant Oats can be prepared anywhere as long as you have hot water available, or take Bran-rich cereals/muesli to work/school in a plastic container);
- low-fat milk or yoghurt (rich in protein and calcium, but low in fat) (tips - buy long-life low-fat milk and store in fridge at work; buy low-fat yoghurt in small plastic containers);
- wholewheat toast or buns or high-fibre muffins with Lite margarine, jam, or marmite;
- boiled egg - include for extra protein, and iron (hard
boiled eggs are easy to take along to work/school - the SA Heart
Foundation recommends that even people with cholesterol problems
can eat three to four eggs a week).
