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Eating Breakfast May Help You Lose Weight
All calories aren't created equal. And breakfast matters.
Those are some of the lessons from today's Health Journal column, in which Melinda Beck writes that what you eat─and when you eat it─can make a big difference in controlling appetite and satiety.
Ms. Beck reports on the 'The Skinny,' a new book by Louis J. Aronne, longtime director of the Comprehensive Weight Loss Program at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. 'It's true that a calorie is a calorie,' Dr. Aronne told Ms. Beck. 'But what that doesn't take into account is how some calories affect what people eat later on.'
One of Dr. Aronne's key messages is a tough one for many jugglers and their kids to follow : Eat breakfast. But don't just grab a muffin or a pastry on-the-go, for you and the kids.
Instead, have the family load up on lean protein─ideally from egg whites or a protein shake. Eating protein-rich foods in the morning reduces hunger all day long, Dr. Aronne says, which lessens the chances of bingeing later on. Eating muffins, bread, sugar cereal or juice does the opposite.
Dr. Aronne suggests trying his plan yourself: 'Have 200 calories of egg white omelette or protein shake for breakfast, and then another day have 200 calories of juice and look at your hunger, hour after hour.'
Some people argue that they aren't hungry in the morning, but Dr. Aronne notes that ghrelin, the hormone that typically signals hunger, adjusts to habitual meal patterns. After a few days of eating breakfast, you should find that you are hungry in the morning, and are eating less the night before, he writes.
If it's too much trouble to make eggs, protein shakes are just as effective. What's more, you can sip them while you're getting dressed or on the commute. You can buy protein shakes in cans at health food or vitamin stores (but if you're trying to lose weight, don't go for ones high in sugar, made with sweet yogurt or ice cream.) You can also make your own. His book includes the following simple recipe:
1 1/2 cups of frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 scoops of protein powder (vanilla-flavored works best)
1 pint water or skim milk
Blend until smooth. It's just 300 calories for two pints, if you make it with water. (More recommendations from Dr. Aronne's research can be found in today's column.)
Readers, is breakfast a part of your juggle, or are you just too time-strapped, or not hungry early in the day, to eat well in the morning? What's your family's typical breakfast routine?
