Thursday, September 04, 2008

High protein breakfast could aid weight loss

Eating more protein in the morning helps create the feeling of being full throughout the day and could help dieters lose weight. The timing of a meal is a key factor as a greater sense of fullness is experienced after a high protein breakfast compared to when more protein is eaten at lunch or dinner, the report published in the British Journal of Nutrition said.

The Purdue University study looked at overweight or obese men who ate a reduced calorie diet. The diet consisted of two variations of protein intakes, both which were within federal nutrition recommendations. The first was a normal protein intake (or 11-14 percent of calories) and the second was increased protein (or 18-25 percent of calories).

The researchers tested the effect of consuming the additional protein at specific meals, breakfast, lunch or dinner, or spaced evenly throughout the day.

They found that the feeling of fullness was greatest and most sustained throughout the day when the additional protein, from high-quality protein foods was eaten at breakfast.

The authors said that most Americans typically consume a relatively small amount of protein at breakfast, which is only about 15 percent of their total daily protein intake.

Bonnie - they're finally starting to catch on!!

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