
The importance of breakfast
Most of us are aware of the importance of breakfast for weight loss, with benefits such as an elevation of metabolic rate, and improved energy levels for the rest of the day. But it’s also a meal that is often skipped, especially amongst teenage girls.
Skipping breakfast can often result in unhealthy snacking afterwards, and is associated with excess body fat. However, new research suggests that eating breakfast can be a good strategy for appetite control and the prevention of overeating in young girls.
The research suggested that the protein content of a breakfast meal may help determine how effective it is in helping to reduce appetite and control cravings.
The research
Teenage girls who ate breakfast on two days or less each week were tested on a breakfast-free day. They were then given six days of a high protein breakfast and six days of a normal protein breakfast. Breakfast was either cereal and milk (normal protein content) or protein-enriched waffles with syrup and yoghurt (high protein content).
Questionnaires were used to evaluate appetite and satiety (fullness), and MRI scans of the brain were performed just prior to lunch to identify brain responses
Both types of breakfast resulted in reduced brain activation in areas such as perceived hunger, desire to eat, and food motivation prior to lunch.
But the results also showed that the high-protein breakfast eaters caused even more positive changes. The extra protein seemed to help the girls control their appetite and stay satisfied for longer – meaning they could be less likely to snack on high sugar and high fat foods afterwards.
Lifestyle implications
Having a healthy breakfast containing protein-rich foods can be an easy strategy for young girls to control their appetite. They may also be less likely to snack throughout the day.
Being a building block of all the cells in the body, protein may also be helpful to help healthy skin, nails, and hair, which can often be a priority for teenage girls.
Here are some suggestions on how to include more protein rich foods at breakfast time:
References available on request