Breakfasts that Battle Hunger

New research by UAB researchers might help you build a better breakfast. The researchers tested two kinds of breakfasts on 30 participants. Half of the participants ate typical breakfasts in which 55% of the calories came from carbohydrates. The other participants ate breakfasts in which 43% of the calories came from carbohydrates. The participants on the lower carbohydrate breakfast had more stable blood sugar levels and felt fuller in the hours after the meal. So this type of breakfast could help people lose weight.

The good news is that you don't have to eliminate carbohydrates. Choosing healthier, high fiber carbs like whole grains and balancing in foods like eggs, lean meats, peanut butter, and plant fats is key.

Here's what a breakfast with a little over 40% of its calories coming from carbohydrates  might look like: (full screen here please):

1 poached egg
2 slices Canadian bacon
1 slice 2% milk cheese
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 tsp strawberry jam
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of coffee

So, as you can see, this is not really a low carbohydrate breakfast. We're still having toast, juice, and even a little jam - all foods with carbohydrates. In fact, this breakfast doesn't really look at that different from what you might normally eat. We're just balancing it out with some higher protein, no carbohydrate foods like the egg, Canadian bacon, and low-fat cheese.

Other good choices at breakfast include natural peanut butter, sugar free yogurt, lowfat milk, oatmeal, and whole fruit.

It's important to know that this was a very small study, so we cannot really say that these results will hold up in larger studies.

Beth Kitchin, MS, RD
Assistant Professor
UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences