The Word on Weightloss

Check the date; It’s not April 1st, and this is not an April Fools Day joke. You can set yourself up to lose weight by eating the meal dubbed "the most important meal of the day": breakfast. I’m sure many of you skip breakfast because you’re too busy and you figure you don’t need the calories, but I’d be willing to bet that you will end up replacing those potential breakfast calories during the day with increased nibbling and binge eating especially at lunch and probably additionally at dinner too. If you don't eat breakfast and you want to lose weight you’re just setting yourself up for failure, so consider changing your habits...and start losing weight!

The big kicker here is your metabolism and stimulating the glucose and enzymes it needs to get started. We’ve talked about metabolism before: your metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into the energy, your body needs to perform every day functions. When you don’t eat breakfast you might be fasting for anywhere from 15-20 hours. Breakfast kicks your metabolism into gear as the enzymes that you’ve eaten get it going and keep it humming throughout the day. When you skip breakfast your metabolism will plummet, meaning it’s activity to keep converting fat into energy just cannot happen.

Let’s look at two studies by the American Dietetic Association to prove this point.

• In one study about breakfast cereals, over 2,000 young girls from ages 9-19, showed that regular breakfast eaters (in this case, cereal) showed fewer weight problems than infrequent breakfast eaters. 

• In another study about skipping breakfast, using a scan called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) a group of researchers from the Imperial College of London looked at how feeding behaviors affected the brain’s “reward” center which controls your body’s blood flow response to brain activity. For those who did not eat breakfast, high-calorie foods like pizza and cake stimulated a greater response than low-calorie foods, causing more activity in the brain. Scientifically, this means the individual would reach for the candy bar over the apple.

So, now I hope you understand why you should consider eating breakfast. Now you have to decide what foods are best to eat. Of course, it’s always best to reach for the

• Fresh fruits, vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean protein

These foods are high in fiber and along with the protein, will help you feel full while eating fewer calories. Keep your eye on your portion size as well.

CookingLight Banana Lime Jam Recipe
Brighten up your breakfast today with this fresh and new breakfast idea from CookingLight Magazine’s June 2010 issue. Try making banana lime jam and spread it on your favorite whole grain toast or English muffin. For even more zing and calcium, add a little cream cheese!

• Combine ¾ cup brown sugar with ½ cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup fresh lime juice in a saucepan

• Bring mixture to a boil.

• Add 3 medium bananas.

• Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 45 minutes or until slightly thick.

• Make sure to mash the banana occasionally while stirring in 2 tablespoons of butter.

• Remove from heat and let it cool and thicken before adding it to your toast.