Category: Uncategorized

July 21, 2005

Reasons to Eat Your Breakfast 

 Competency # 5  THE WAY TO EAT 

Reference:  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Special Supplement on Science Based Solutions to Obesity, July 2005: 

 Eating breakfast is an event that slips by the wayside.  Many of us don’t, about 25 %.  Here are the reasons you should. 

 1.Literature shows that you “set” your metabolism for the rest of the day by starting with a low glycemic breakfast – meaning made from whole grains, NOT from standard boxed cereals. 

 2.Literature shows that women who eat breakfast end up consuming 100 less calories that day on average.  (That’s about 10 pounds a year.) 

 3.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Special Supplement on Science Based Solutions to Obesity, July 2005:  eating breakfast is one of the top strategies for successful weight loss maintainers. 

 4.  You lower your LDLs and increase insulin sensitivity by eating breakfast. 

 5.  You impact your lunch response to foods by eating a low glycemic breakfast. 

6.Literature shows, on a 2000 calorie diet, people who eat 70% of their calories for breakfast and lunch will LOSE weight while those same people eating 70% of their calories at lunch or later GAIN weight.   

 By request:  Here is the recipe for my personal breakfast food – 90% of my breakfasts:   Mix of 50% cracked wheat (wheat grain cracked in half) and 50% steel cut oats (oat grain broken in half) (This can be substituted with buckwheat instead of oats and wheat, that gives you a gluten free whole grain breakfast) Mix 2 cups of that with 6 cups of water Tsp of salt Bring carefully to a boil so it doesn’t boil over and mess up your stove top.  Stir frequently. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring a few times to mix in all the liquid that comes to the top Let it cool. Put it in a Tupperware in your fridge.  This makes a two-week supply and lasts that long in the fridge. In AM, take half-three quarters cup of the cold, cooked mix in a bowl Add a cup of skim milk 2.5 minutes in the microwave and you have a bowl of hot cereal I personally add 2 heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseed to get my fix of omega fatty acids and a nice nutty flavor (and TONS of fiber.) You could also add a sliced banana or any other fruit.  I personally like frozen blueberries.  I add 2 packets of Stevia sweetener. 

 WWW: What will work for me?  I’ve lost 50 pounds since I started this.  Almost no fat, all whole grain, two servings of fruit, one serving of calcium in the milk.   I get lots of omega fatty acids and a Glycemic index meal of about 40.   I don’t get horribly hungry at 9:30, like I used to so that I can make it till lunch without snacking.  MY LDLs should be 5-10 points lower than by skipping breakfast.  My Blood Pressure is about 6-10 points lower than it was three years ago.  And I start my day with 2-3 fruit servings of the 9 that I want to get to each day.   I’m so virtuous, I can hardly stand myself.  Time for a tiny nutritional sin.  Culver’s anyone?

This column was written by Dr. John E Whitcomb, MD, Brookfield Longevity, Brookfield, WI. (262-785-5300)