In defense of breakfast (cereal)

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reinhard
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In defense of breakfast (cereal)

Post by reinhard » Fri Sep 09, 2005 7:15 pm

From article entitled "Grrreat News! Cereal Eaters Weigh Less:
New Study Says Breakfast, Cereal Helps Teenage Girls Stay Slim"

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article ... 5209990005
Girls who regularly ate breakfast, particularly one that includes cereal, were slimmer than those who skipped the morning meal, according to a study that tracked nearly 2,400 girls for 10 years.

Girls who ate breakfast of any type had a lower average body mass index, a common obesity gauge, than those who said they didn't. The index was even lower for girls who said they ate cereal for breakfast, according to findings of the study conducted by the Maryland Medical Research Institute. The study received funding from the National Institutes of Health and cereal-maker General Mills.

"Not eating breakfast is the worst thing you can do, that's really the take-home message for teenage girls," said study author Bruce Barton, the Maryland institute's president and CEO.
and
John Kirwan, a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve
University's Schwartz Center for Nutrition and Metabolism, said the
findings may be "more reflective of overall eating habits and quality
of food consumed."

"Those who eat breakfast on a regular basis are more likely to have a
structured eating plan throughout the day and consequently are less
likely to snack between meals and consume empty calories," said Kirwan,
who has studied the effect of breakfast consumption on exercise
performance and was not involved in the study.
What interests me more than the cereal is the importance of any breakfast (it's kind of a given that a study funded by general mills is going to be pro-cereal):

From another article about the same study:
"Skipping breakfast really came out [as a predictor] of weight gain," Barton said. "I don't know if anyone realized the magnitude of breakfast skipping. By age 19 almost 45 percent were skipping breakfast."
So don't forget, 3 is the minimum as well as the maximum!

Reinhard

Sinnie
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Post by Sinnie » Fri Sep 09, 2005 8:43 pm

Amen to that Reinhard! Breakfast is so important. I love it, and it sets me up to eat properly at the next two meals.

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Lethaltoenails
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Post by Lethaltoenails » Fri Sep 09, 2005 10:34 pm

Breakfast is essential to fueling your body properly and setting yourself up for a SUCCESSFUL noS lifestyle.

If anyone out there is NOT eating breakfast, your mother is shaking her finger at you! You know better, so EAT BREAKFAST!

( I am particulary opinionated on this topic and my kids know it)

Lethaltoenails

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Sat Sep 10, 2005 2:57 pm

For me, the perfect breakfast combo is cereal AND some protein and a little fat. That way you get the terrific trio.....fiber, protein and fat....gets me to lunch quite easily.

Peetie

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Sep 10, 2005 7:33 pm

Whaaaat??? No prunes???

:wink: Deb

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:43 pm

You know, I have to question this conclusion (apart from the pro-cereal study being funded by a cereal corporation). I've wrestled with eating 3 meals (vs. 2) for quite some time, and finally settled on 2 platefuls of food per day, which I've been sustaining more or less successfully for about 2 months.

I can't see how adding a 3rd plateful of food per day, along with the extra caloric intake, would help me lose weight more efficiently. Though I realize that the study is looking for generalized trends among a large subject population; I would pretty clearly be a counterexample to these trends.

My doctor told me a long time ago that losing weight is a simple equation: caloric input vs. caloric output. This is far and away the most important factor of weight loss. Any other variable apart from this is just optimizing; so while the same caloric intake spread over 3 meals may indicate more rapid weight loss than the same caloric intake spread over 2 meals, for me it just comes down to consuming as few calories as possible. And the simplest way for me to accomplish this goal is to fill my plate with yummy, nutritious food twice daily.

I just don't get hungry first thing in the morning; I'm almost never hungry until I've been awake for 3 hours or so. And I can't see the point of eating when I'm not hungry, given that one of my main objectives is to lose weight. So given that I allow myself 2 platefuls per day, I wait to have the first one until I'm hungry; that way I can maximize my enjoyment of the meal. :)

But having said that, in my log thread I recently posted that I'm thinking of switching to 3 meals per day. Not sure about that. My problem is (was?) that I definitely do get hungry later in the evening; if I could eat at any time of day, I'd probably have 3 meals, one at noon, one at 6pm, and one at like 11pm or something. But eating late is where I binge, so that won't work. For my own health, it's no eating after 9pm.

Having said that, I've found that since I switched to 2 meals I'm not eating nearly as much fruit. I may start having a breakfast of a piece of fruit just to get my body going in the morning.
JWL[.|@]Freakwitch[.]net

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Sep 10, 2005 9:56 pm

Hi Freakwitch...

Breakfast for me is usually two cups of coffee and soymilk and some sort of fruit... I too have virtually no appetite when I wake up, and at times the idea of having a lot seems really yuckky to me, but I don't think this isn't the best thing, or a sign of health..... Yes, overall "calories in" is probably one of the major components in whether we gain or lose weight, but also, we have to consider that there are high and low points of the day for the stomach to function... And, the other negative possibility with having two big meals, is that it still keeps you mentally, and physically, used to consuming a large portion at one sitting... I think our bodies to respond, to some extent, to those long gaps of time between meals, by slowing down... I believe that's the guiding theory and premise behind "grazing"...
The idea is to keep our metabolism moving along and avoiding going into that slow down mode... Unfortunately there's a big risk in eating more than you really believe you did, with that method, so I like three meals much better, and yeah, I like feeling nice and ready for a meal and a little hunger.. It's not normal to have food in our stomachs all the time!!!

Since you mentioned late eating, I'm gonna jump on that idea... Believe me, I'm not trying to be prescriptive, just throwing this out for the sake of continuing the conversation... So, take with little grains of "breakfast salt" :wink:
It is quite possible that if you don't eat late at night, for a period of time, you may reset your body to actually feel hungry when you get up... Having that food sitting in our stomachs in the wee hour probably perpetuates the absence of morning hunger... I mean, it's really not going to get processed much when we are laying around sleeping... It just sits there! LOL...
At this point I am very happy with three medium, and sometimes even pretty small, meals... But I did start out with pretty large portions last year at the beginning and it just changed all on it's own at about 9 months in...
Cereal for breakfast????
I guess Tony is gonna say
"It's grrrrreat!"...

Reinhard loves to "optimize his oatmeal"

I just wish I had someone to make me an omlette and grits, or maybe some sausage biscuits, when I wake up!
LOL....
Love,
8) Deb

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navin
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Post by navin » Sat Sep 10, 2005 10:37 pm

As far as breakfast and eating late - for me it's psychological. I always eat breakfast and I try to make it something tasty, so if I'm tempted to eat at night, I just think, "I can hold out for those banana-nut muffins for breakfast!"

I think the real problem with not eating breakfast is that for many people, they get too hungry during the day and just snack and eat more. That does not seem to be the case for you Freakwitch, so maybe you're the exception that proves the rule, so to speak. :)
Before criticizing someone, you should try walking a mile in their shoes. Then you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:21 am

Interesting conversation.

Indeed, I find that I do get hungry earlier in the day since I've stopped my late-night binges. Before then, there literally were times when I was still so bloated full that I wasn't hungry until like 4 or 5 pm, my first meal would be dinner and then I'd just pack in calories all night long.

Yuck. I get disgusted with myself when I think about old eating habits, time wasted in front of the boob tube mindlessly stuffing my face. Not beating myself up here, but trying to have as much compassion as possible for myself; clearly I was suffering on some level and my bingeing was my response to that suffering.

But anyway, yeah. I usually have coffee first thing in the morning before I eat. There are a few calories in it, between the splash of half and half and the tablespoon(ish) of sweetener I add (maple syrup for cold coffee in the summer, normal sugar for hot coffee in winter). Maybe those calories -- not to mention the appetite suppressant properties of caffeine -- are enough to tide me over until lunch.
JWL[.|@]Freakwitch[.]net

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Post by carolejo » Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:44 am

I have to add here that I also really think breakfast is very important...

...but I HATE just about all cereals! The texture is just not appealing to me (if you put milk on, they go soggy and slimy YUCK, without milk it's a struggle to eat them and your mouth gets all dry) and they taste BOORRING.

I also find that even if I *do* eat cereal for breakfast (let's face it, it's about the quickest, easiest thing to eat when you're in a hurry to get out of the house in the morning - hey, shouldn't that tell us something? Convienience foods anyone...?) I'm hungry again 2 hours later. Breakfast has to contain a sizable portion of protein if I want to make it to lunchtime without going on a major killing or binging spree! :lol:

If I don't eat breakfast, I can often hang in there until lunchtime without eating anything at all, but I just don't find my body and brain function so well. In terms of hunger-management though, no breakfast at all is better than a bowl of cereal for me!

C.
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Post by sibyl » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:25 am

I haven't had cereal for breakfast in years. I have the same (similar) issue as Carole - it gets soggy way too fast, and I can't stand milk. Having a pile of soggy grain products in a bowl of room temperature milk is not appetizing in the least. The only time I ever eat cereal any more is dry, as a snack.

I like sandwiches for breakfast. Quick & simple. PB&J, or meat & cheese, preferably with a piece of fruit or a glass of juice.

I need breakfast, or I turn into zombie woman. Its just that during the work-week, I have to eat earlier than I'd like (7am-ish vs. 10am-ish), so I never eat as much breakfast as I'd like. Just not hungry for it.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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Post by carolejo » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:38 am

I have to say, I'm really going to find the dutch style breakfast (fresh bread, cheese and cooked meats) to be very agreeable! This is one instance where I'll be 'going native' in double-quick time.

C.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:45 pm

Try and add some fruits or veg to that CJ, if you don't mind me saying...
We want you to be a native girl, but bread and cheese every day does tend to stick to your innards! That sounds fibre deficient...LOL...
Ha ha ha...
I suggest Peeties fave, stewed prunes...
Love,
8) Deb

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MerryKat
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My experience with breakfast

Post by MerryKat » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:02 pm

When it comes to the breakfast issue I am lucky as I am hungry as soon as I wake up, but on the NoS I am definitely not as hungry - thanks to eating balanced substantial meals?

I have increased the amount of food I eat for my breakfast and lunch so that the 10am and 3pm munchies do not strike. I definitley find that if I eat a decent breakfast I am less likely to feel the need to munch in the afternoon or evening. I am not sure how breakfast affects the afternoon and evening, but for me it really has reduced the urge to binge and snack before and after dinner.

For me breakfast can be cereal (weetbix) or sandwiches or left overs or a continental type cold meat, cheese & rye bread or basically anything that is going that is filling, healthy and substantial.
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

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Post by sibyl » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:03 pm

The older I get, the more I find a savoury breakfast (bread, meat/egg, cheese) with a little fruit is the best kind of breakfast. Having muffins, or bread with jam, or other sweet things just isn't as satisfying.

I wanted to add a cereal caveat. In the winter, when its cold, I like having hot cereal (porridge, mmm). It warms me up and keeps me warm while I'm waiting for the car to heat up.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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Post by peetie » Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:19 pm

I'm with you Mo. I'm hungry the minute I wake up....and I am up by 5:00 am due to my husband's work schedule. He turns positively green when he sees the stuff I can ingest at the crack of dawn, not being a breakfast person himself.

From what I've read on the subject, I think breakfast keeps us from having "make up" eating to do later in the day. That if we don't get some fuel early on, our bodies will demand it later.

And, thanks for preaching the Gospel for me Deb....hail to the prunes.

Peetie

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:23 am

Freakwitch, I think your doctor is right, on the most fundamental level losing weight is simply a matter of calories in/calories out. And I don't think this study suggests otherwise. From what I gather, the reason the article speculates breakfast (and particularly cereal breakfast) seems to inversely correlate with obesity is that it influences snacking behavior during the day. By skipping breakfast, you tend to wind up consuming more calories in snacks. Snack foods tend to be very caloric (and low in nutrients, but that's another story) and their consumption difficult to monitor. If you have breakfast, particularly something with fibrous stopping power, you'll be fuller and less likely to pay a visit to the candy machine before lunch. And bigger picture, people who eat breakfast are more likely to be discrete meal eaters rather than permasnackers.

If you are really happy with your 2 big meals, wonderful. I'm not going to wag my finger at you for doing what's working. Other people here are happily and successfully doing 4 meals. But I think 3 is a very good default for most people. And breakfast doesn't have to be an *extra* plate of calories. Your meals don't all have to be the exact same size, after all. It's a question of calorie distribution.

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Breakfast

Post by MerryKat » Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:58 am

Peetie - I also start early as I need to get us all ready and out the house by 7.10am, so it is usually a 5.30am wake-up for me.

My hubby is like yours and does not do the breakfast thing, he is more like Freakwitch with 2 big meals a day - Lunch at the work canteen and dinner at home and he is thin (naturally so - he also does not have a snacking problem) So I have seen first hand how some people can easily and thinly live on 2 big meals a day.

Sibyl - I also love hot porridge - to the point I sometimes have it in summer aswell!
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

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Post by ClickBeetle » Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:17 pm

I find I just can't stomach a big breakfast early in the morning. The most I can look at is coffee and maybe a biscotto or milk or something light like a tomato sandwich (you know me) :roll: . However, I can see why skipping breakfast would tend to lead to snacking later on.

With no-S, one eliminates the snacking possibility, so placing that firm boundary would seem to help others like myself who don't eat much breakfast.
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

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MerryKat
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Post by MerryKat » Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:54 am

Again the beauty of No S - you can fit it to what suits you!

Thanks again Reinhard
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

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Post by snazzybabe » Thu Sep 15, 2005 3:16 am

carolejo wrote:I have to add here that I also really think breakfast is very important...
I also find that even if I *do* eat cereal for breakfast (let's face it, it's about the quickest, easiest thing to eat when you're in a hurry to get out of the house in the morning - hey, shouldn't that tell us something? Convienience foods anyone...?) I'm hungry again 2 hours later. Breakfast has to contain a sizable portion of protein if I want to make it to lunchtime without going on a major killing or binging spree! :lol:
C.
I totally agree about the cereal making you hungry 2 hours later. I can last so much longer with my bacon and eggs or cheese and mushroom omlette.

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