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Is breakfast making you fat?

Toast with jam. Sugary cereal and milk with a glass of juice. Banana bread and a caramel latte. If you ate any of these combinations for breakfast, chances are you were hungry a few hours later, craving sugar and increasing the risk of adding extra calories to your diet.

Breakfast is the meal we spend the least time planning and eating, yet it is so important for firing up the brain and kick-starting our metabolism after the overnight fast.

Dietician Susie Burrell says the key is to plan ahead – those who eat a balanced and nutritious breakfast will ensure their eating habits are on track for the day.
“People who don’t are more likely to become a victim of their food environment. They’ll get to 9am or 10am and eat whatever is around,” she says.
“Particularly in the city with food courts, there’s muffins and cakes, not whole grains.”

So what does a nutritious breakfast look like? Burrell recommends a combination of protein (10 to 20g) and carbohydrates (30 to 60g).

“You should be eating a source of wholegrain low GI carbohydrates for energy but also some lean protein in the form of dairy food, eggs or beans,” she says.

“That combination is not only superior nutritionally, but the balance will help to regulate blood glucose levels during the day, as opposed to a high carbohydrate breakfast, such as toast and juice or banana bread. Nutritionally it is resulting in a substantially higher release of insulin, which predisposes people to weight gain.”

Her top picks for protein: ricotta, cottage cheese, eggs or thick natural yoghurt.

For carbohydrates: oats, dense soy and linseed bread, fresh fruit, bran or a small portion of muesli.

“To be honest there are very few cereals in the supermarket that I recommend with the exception of a bran flake or muesli,” she says.
Portion size is very important, particularly when it comes to muesli, she says.

“It’s very energy dense and the clients I see really aren’t burning off those calories. Because it’s a sweet taste in the mouth, it’s easy to eat a lot of it rather than All Bran.”

A recent study published in the Nutrition Journal found that people who ate a large, calorie-laden breakfast went on to eat a high calorie lunch and dinner, contradicting the long-held belief that a big breakfast is best.

Eating a smaller breakfast was associated with a lower daily calorie intake, the study found.

Dietitians Association of Australia spokesman Alan Barclay described the study as “a little bit simplistic” as it looked at the meal only in terms of the kilojoules consumed, not the nutrients.

Water content, the amount of dietary fibre and the glycemic index of foods are three factors known to affect appetite later in the day, he says.

“I think the important thing is to have a good quality breakfast,” Dr Barclay says. “The quality is just as important as the number of kilojoules.”

A poor choice from a quality perspective is a daily eggs and bacon fry up, he says.

Try swapping this for a piece of wholegrain, low GI bread with an egg that has been poached or fried in a non-stick pan.

“It would be fine if you were working out in a field all day but with our sedentary lifestyles they’re not a good idea,” he says. “It is just excess calories without dietary fibre.

“Half a glass of juice contains as many calories as a piece of fruit without the dietary fibre usually. It doesn’t fill you up as well as a piece of fruit.”

Skipping breakfast is another no-no. Dr Barclay says in the short term the impact on the body can be lethargy or a foggy brain. Longer term, it can lead to weight gain.

“There is very good evidence that children who have breakfast perform better at school and that translates to adults too,” he says.

“It’s important for performance and skipping it will have negative metabolic consequences for most of us.”

As for those eggs and bacon, there’s no need to erase them from the menu altogether.

Dr Barclay doesn’t object to the odd fry up for a special occasion or weekend treat.
Follow this reporter on Twitter @Sarah McInerney

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Bring the Family Together for Breakfast

MISSION, KS–(Marketwire -11/03/11)- (Family Features) With busy after-school schedules and commitments, it can be difficult to get the family around the table, thus missing out on important family time. Between work schedules and extracurricular activities, it’s no surprise that 57 percent of families do not eat meals together every day, according to the Journal of American Medicine. One solution is to focus on breakfast.

Celebrity chef Aaron McCargo Jr., of the Food Network, understands that for many, breakfast needs to be quick and easy. As a father of three, McCargo realizes that cooking breakfast from scratch is not always realistic for busy mornings. With that in mind, he suggests starting with frozen food products made from real and wholesome ingredients. “I was pleased to see the Aunt Jemima® Frozen Breakfast line of pancakes, waffles and French toast is made just like my mom taught me — with simple ingredients like milk, eggs, flour and sugar,” says McCargo.

Inspired by the line of frozen breakfast, McCargo developed the following breakfast ideas to help busy families reconnect each morning:

• Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Blueberry Compote: Jazz up frozen buttermilk pancakes with this easy and light jam-like sauce.

“Since Aunt Jemima frozen breakfasts are just like homemade, you can quickly pop them in the microwave or toaster and spend your time making fun, easy toppers and breakfast sides from my new cookbook ‘Simply Done, Well Done,’ and spend quality time with your family,” says McCargo.

In addition, McCargo offers the following tips for getting the whole family to the breakfast table:

• Keep it Simple: You don’t need to become a chef to make a simple, but great meal. With just a few ingredients, you can have a delicious and wholesome meal ready for your family in minutes.

• Try for Tradition: Make one day a week your designated “cooking day” with your kids. Each Sunday morning you can plan on cooking breakfast with your kids. Look for foods with added benefits such as Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast Oatmeal pancakes. Made with rolled oats, oat bran and oat flour mixed right into the batter, the new wholesome option contains as much fiber as a cup of prepared oatmeal, providing the nutritional benefits of real oats in the form of delicious pancakes.

• Make It a Team Effort: Get everyone involved and try to make sure each person has some part in helping to make the meal. An adult can take care of all the difficult tasks, but let your kids scoop the blueberries out of the bowl and onto the hot pancakes. Remember — the fact that it’s prepared quickly doesn’t take away from the quality time spent preparing and enjoying it together.

For more recipes and tips from McCargo, as well as coupons, visitwww.Facebook.com/AuntJemimaFrozenBreakfast.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Compote
Makes 4-6 servings

1 box of Aunt Jemima® Frozen Buttermilk Pancakes
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Grated zest of 1 lemon

In small saucepan, mix together 2 cups blueberries, sugar and 2 tablespoons water, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until compote is syrupy and blueberries begin to break down (about 5 to 6 minutes).

Transfer compote to bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, add lemon juice and pulse until smooth. Put compote in a bowl and garnish with reserved 1/2 cup berries and lemon zest.

Heat up the pancakes as directed on packaging and top with compote.

AUNT JEMIMA is a registered trademark of The Quaker Oats Company and is used under license.

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Getting A Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast, like any other meal of the day, needs proper planning. No longer is it planned independently of the other meals. The three meals should be planned as a unit and balanced against the daily body requirement with enough allowance for good health.

A light breakfast must necessarily be followed be a substantial meal, while a heavy breakfast must be followed by a light lunch. If both breakfast and lunch are light, then a heavy dinner is needed.

Like all meals, breakfast must be planned to include food nutrients not provided for or inadequately found in the two other meals to complete the essential body requirements for the day.

Too often, skimpy breakfasts are blamed in lack of time. Considering that one-fourth to one-third of the day’s requirements is served at breakfast, the need for planning ahead is doubly justified.

Breakfast mean to break the fast of several hours.

The factors affecting the nature of the breakfast menu will depend upon age, sex, weight, health, and kind of activities of the individual family members. Other factors to consider are the amount of time allotted for its preparation by one or several family members, or by a hired helper and how light, moderate, or heavy other meals are intended to be. Family custom may have to contend with all of these, although strictly speaking, this must not prevail upon the more important factors.

Breakfast should always include a raw fruit because this contains more vitamins and minerals than cooked ones. Fresh ripe fruits have a rich mellow aroma that can stimulate even the most delicate appetite. It should be taken as the first course of the meal for the same reason.

Fresh eggs are good breakfast food because they are rich in complete protein, fat, iron, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A & B, and niacin. They are also easy to prepare and digest. They can be fried, poached, soft-cooked, hard-cooked, scrambled, or prepared as an omelette.

Rice and other cereals are the main fuel contributors in breakfast. Rice is cooked plain or sautéed in small amount of fat and garlic. Corn broiled and buttered is a practical American way that can be adopted anywhere where corn is available.

Milk is the almost complete food and is welcome at any meal. At breakfast, milk is popular as a beverage or taken with coffee, chocolate, oatmeal, and other cereals. Milk should be bought from sanitary and reliable sources. Fresh milk is safer if pasteurized before serving.

Breakfast breads may be in the form of rolls, buns, loafbread, biscuits, waffles, or hot cakes. Breads can be toasted and served with butter or fruit jam like strawberry. Waffles, hotcakes, and French toast are good for heavy and substantial breakfast. Rolls with butter and jam, jelly, or marmalade are suitable for heavy breakfast, too, especially if taken with a heavy protein dish and chocolate.

author:Peter Garant