Whoever said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day certainly has reason, according to one doctor from Venezuela who has trialed the "Big Breakfast Diet" on her patients, to much success.
Lose weight and keep it off
Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz is a clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the US and an endocrinologist at the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas in Venezuela. She says that in order for diets to work in the future and be effective at combatting obesity, they have to help people cut out cravings for carbohydrates. According to Jakubowicz, the hunger and craving factor is one reason why many people aren't successful at losing weight and keeping it off, and a low-carb diet is definitely not the way to go.
She said: "We treat obese people by telling them to eat less and exercise more, but that does not take into account feelings of carb cravings and hunger. We have to change our approach and find a diet that can control cravings and hunger."
The Big Breakfast Diet
Introducing, the Big Breakfast Diet, which has been found to do just that. By stocking up on a balanced breakfast containing carbohydrates and proteins, people stayed satisfied for longer and staved off hunger pangs and cravings for sweet foods later in the day.
In Jakubowicz' study, 46 female participants ate a very low carb and calorie diet, consuming only 1085 calories per day and only 290 of those at breakfast. Another group of participants consumed 1240 calories and 610 calories of those at breakfast. The second group were allowed to eat 58g carbohydrates, 47g protein and 22g fat. Within this, people were allowed bread, fruit, cereal, milk, eggs, meat and even a little chocolate or sweets.
Feed your brain at the right time of day
By doing this, Dr Jakubowicz says that we are doing what is natural for our bodies, as when we first wake up in the morning, our metabolism is kick starting, meaning that the levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their highest during the day. In order to function properly, the brain needs energy straight away and if we don't eat enough, it will find energy elsewhere – by pulling energy from muscle, causing damage to the muscle tissue. Also, if you eat later on, your brain is in "fasting mode" and will thus convert the energy from food into fat.
From salad days to chocolate days
Eating sweets in the morning can also help tackle cravings and disassociate sweet-tasting treats with pleasure. In the morning, our levels of serotonin are high meaning that we don't crave the usual pick-me-up food like chocolate as much as we might do in the afternoon, say, when serotonin levels are low. Eating something sweet anyway can help break the addiction cycle, as we no longer associate sweets with the good feeling they give afterwards.
According to nutrition specialists, this diet is also effective because it allows dieters to have those carbohydrates that they so crave. It gives a variety and is easy to manage, unlike many low-calorie and low-carb diets.
Dr Alex Johnstone of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen didn't think the diet was successful thanks to its crave-combatting ability, rather that it was easier to follow: "It could be that it is simply easier for people on a higher-carbohydrate diet to comply with it over a longer period."