Food cravings are a dieter’s worst nightmare, but here’s one way to get rid of them fast, say researchers.
According to findings by University of Missouri-Columbia researchers, people who ate a healthy breakfast high in protein experienced less hunger and food cravings throughout the day, helping them eat less. In addition, researchers found that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduced brain signals triggering people to eat more, acting as a natural appetite suppressant.
The research is published online in the health journal Obesity.
“Everyone knows that eating breakfast is important, but many people still don’t make it a priority,” says Heather Leidy, one of the study’s researchers and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. “This research provides additional evidence that breakfast is a valuable strategy to control appetite and regulate food intake.”
For their research, scientists had healthy teenagers undergo a series of experiments, changing their daily breakfast routine to see how it affected satiety levels. Satiety is instrumental for reducing food cravings and hunger.
For three weeks, teens either skipped breakfast or ate a 500-calorie breakfast containing cereal and milk, a typical breakfast for most teens. Some of the teens ate a breakfast containing a high-protein meal of waffles, syrup, and yogurt, however, something researchers hypothesized could influence their satiety levels.
At the end of the study, the researchers compared the results of each group–and the change was significant. For those who ate a high-protein breakfast, their satiety levels were the highest, causing them to eat fewer calories. Those who skipped breakfast ate more calories, however, and often reported having stronger food cravings.
For researchers, it proves an important point: To stop food cravings, you need to eat smart.
“Incorporating a healthy breakfast containing protein-rich foods can be a simple strategy for people to stay satisfied longer, and therefore, be less prone to snacking,” says Leidy. “People reach for convenient snack foods to satisfy their hunger between meals, but these foods are almost always high in sugar and fat and add a substantial amount of calories to the diet. These findings suggest that a protein-rich breakfast might be an effective strategy to improve appetite control and prevent overeating in young people.”
What This Means For You
While intermittent fasting may have popularized skipping meals, it won’t do any good if you have constant food cravings, say experts. Instead, your best option is to eat plenty of protein at breakfast, something proven to keep hunger levels low.
So which food options are best? Get savory, say health experts: Eggs, lean sausage, and even tofu all provide a quick protein boost to keep hunger levels low.
Readers: What do you typically eat for breakfast?
Sources:
Eat a Protein-Rich Breakfast to Reduce Food Cravings, Prevent Overeating Later, Researcher Finds – ScienceDaily.com
Neural Responses to Visual Food Stimuli After a Normal vs. Higher Protein Breakfast in Breakfast-Skipping Teens (Study) – Wiley.com
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