January 25 2011
Article from time.com
Posted 1/19/11
As Healthland's Maia Szalavitz reported yesterday, big breakfasts are no boon to your belt size.
A new study in Nutrition Journal found that people who ate big breakfasts consumed more calories overall — not fewer — compared with people who ate smaller morning meals or skipped them altogether.
Researchers from the University of Munich followed 380 people, 280 who were obese and an additional 100 who were of normal weight, who were asked to keep a daily food diary for 10 to 14 days.
Researchers found that the average big breakfast reported by the participants contained 400 calories more than small ones. And, surprise — they also found that people who ate big breakfasts ended up eating 400 more calories a day than people who ate a smaller breakfast or skipped it.
The findings contradict the theory that by indulging in the morning, you stave off hunger and eat less throughout the rest of the day. "[P]eople ate the same at lunch and dinner, regardless of what they had for breakfast," said Dr. Volker Schusdziarra, the study's lead author and a researcher with the Else-Kroner-Fresenius Center of Nutritional Medicine in Munich, in a statement.
On the other hand, as other studies have shown, people who eat breakfast do tend to have more balanced diets and are less likely to be overweight than people who skip their morning meal. Why that's so isn't clear — it could be that, as Szalavitz put it, "people who are healthier and thinner to start are more likely to follow advice about diet, which has been to have breakfast." It leads us at Healthland to wonder, however, if cutting breakfast isn't the answer, maybe it would still help some of you big breakfast-eaters out there to trim a few calories from your morning repast.
We know it's hard to say no to a plateful of greasy-salty-sugary deliciousness, but you can still have a satisfying and energizing meal, without breaking the calorie bank. Here are our suggestions for healthy, hearty big-breakfast substitutes.
Instead of Breakfast Cereal...
...try a bowl of oatmeal instead. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which helps lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol. According to MayoClinic.com, 5 to 10 g of soluble fiber a day can lower your total and LDL cholesterol, and 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal contain 6 g of fiber. To boost fiber content even higher, try adding fruit like bananas, fresh berries or raisins as a topping — it'll simultaneously satisfy your sweet tooth.
Soluble fiber — which is also found in kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes — slows digestion too, and helps you feel fuller longer. So, like the conventional diet wisdom suggests, this hearty breakfast may actually help you eat less later on.
Instead of Lumberjack Special...
...swap out the fried eggs for poached. You still get that decadently gooey yolk, but poached eggs are cooked in a hot water bath, eliminating the oil associated with frying. Then, put them on top of a piece of whole wheat toast instead of pancakes, and you've got lasting fuel — protein and whole grains — for the morning.
Next, ditch the fried potatoes for sweet potato hash, which is high in caratenoids vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Add a few strips of lean turkey bacon in place of sausage links, and you've got a far healthier (and tastier!) version of the lumberjack special than you'd find in any local diner.
Instead of Huevos Rancheros...
...try a breakfast taco. Scramble some egg whites and slip them into a multigrain tortilla with sliced avocado, veggies or even some low-fat chicken sausage. Top with salsa and enjoy!
Trust us, we love the runny fried eggs, simmered pinto beans and melted cheese of a plate of huevos rancheros as much as the next guy, but a healthily made breakfast taco could save you a lot of fat, salt and cholesterol — and probably a bout of heartburn.
Instead of Waffles Supreme...
...go for lightly sweetened, multigrain waffles instead, including waffles made with protein-rich alternative flours like quinoa or amaranth.
Instead of drenching them in chocolate sauce or maple syrup, try brown rice syrup or barley malt, which are made out of sprouted grains, have lower glycemic indexes than traditional sweeteners and even contain a bit of protein.
Can't live without the whipped cream? Fat-free, strained greek yogurt can serve as a fresher-tasting substitute. Spoon it on the side, add some sliced fruit for texture contrast, and you're all set.
Instead of a Bagel with Cream Cheese...
...embrace the English muffin. A toasted bagel with cream cheese and a carton of orange juice is such a prototypical breakfast — especially in New York City — that even the most health conscious haven't examined the facts: one bagel can pack up to 400 calories by itself, before you add the shmear. By contrast, a whole-grain English muffin has about 130 calories.
Instead of spreading on high-fat cream cheese, try protein-rich peanut butter. Or, alternatively, go for farmer's cheese, which is naturally low-fat; it's called farmer's cheese because it's what's left over after farmers sell their good, high-fat dairy to customers. Farmer's cheese is still as New York deli as you can get, and it has all the calcium of cream cheese — at a fraction of the fat.
And, finally, swap out the glass of sugary OJ for a whole grapefruit. Not only does the larger, tarter cousin have less sugar, but by eating the whole fruit instead of juice, you're incorporating a lot more fiber into your diet.
