Skipping Breakfast Makes You Fat

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Skipping Breakfast Makes You Fat

Thursday, October 30, 2008

filed under: health

Are you or your kids skipping breakfast in an effort to lose weight? If you are, you should listen up!

In 12 out of 16 recently reviewed studies, breakfast skipping was actually associated with an increase in body mass index. Nutritionist and celebrity fitness expert JJ Virgin tells us why breakfast is the magic bullet to our day.

For one thing, eating a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger throughout the day, and help you to make wiser food choices at other meals. Plus, if you're routinely eating breakfast, you also have a greater likelihood of making other healthy lifestyle choices, like fitting in regular exercise. What's really important is that after a long period of fasting during the night, without breakfast, you increase stress hormones, burn off precious muscle and slow down your metabolism -- all of which may lead to the accumulation of body fat. Not good moms!

It matters what you eat, too. Most studies linking breakfast to weight control emphasize having a healthy breakfast containing lean protein, in addition to whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats. So, here are a few balanced meal ideas to ensure you are getting your day off to the right start.

1) Veggie omelet made with extra virgin olive oil and a piece of whole-wheat toast.
2) Smoothie made with ½ cup of fresh fruit, water, protein powder and a spoonful of natural nut butter.
3) Salmon on 1/2 whole-grain bagel spread with goat's milk cheese.
4) Oatmeal topped with ground flaxseed meal & raisins and a side of Canadian Bacon.
5) Greek yogurt topped with ½ cup of fresh fruit and chopped walnuts.

5 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

Those breakfast suggestions sound great- except I usually don’t stock Greek yogurt, flaxseed meal or goat’s milk cheese handy in the cupboard.

- Jill

Posted 10/30/08 11:46 AM

That is the point - you have to stock your cupboards and fridge with what is healthy for you to eat.

- Susan

Posted 10/30/08 05:03 PM

Yeah I wish I had the time to make a perfect breakfast like this! I have to get up @ 6:30 every morning just to make it to work on time! And that’s with dropping my son off @ my moms house. And you could never trust the stores to make it that way cuz they will say yes yes yes but you know they didn’t listen to a word you said :(

- vanesa

Posted 10/31/08 07:45 AM

All these fancy schmancy suggestions. Yes, breakfast is an important meal but you don’t have to put together a veggie omelet with extra virgin olive oil or oatmeal topped with ground flaxseed meal or whatever. A small bowl of cornflakes with fresh fruit and skim milk will do the job very nicely, thank-you. Should hunger pangs hit before breakfast time, try quelling it with a banana or and apple. Keep it simple, and healthy. The trick to successful dieting and healthy eating is to make things simpler, not more complicated.

- Paul R

Posted 11/25/08 09:41 PM

You’re missing the point! Protein and healthy fats are essential for weight management (i.e. kick-starts metabolism) and growing kids,and a bowl of sugary cornflakes topped with sugary fruit and doused in hormone-laden liquid doesn’t get it done. The trick to long term weight control and successful dieting is choosing the right balance at every meal. The above examples are just that. Use your imagination and use these examples as guides, not commandments!

- MiMi

Posted 12/04/08 06:54 AM

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Skipping Breakfast Makes You Fat

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5 comments so far | Post a comment now >>