BEEF UP YOUR BREAKFAST

PROTEIN EARLY IN THE DAY PREVENTS SNACKING AT NIGHT
Protein is well known for  its importance in muscle growth and repair but it could also play a role in controlling appetite. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating a protein-rich breakfast could lead to a reduction in appetite and better food choices later in the day. This may have important implications for the use of protein at breakfast. The University of Missouri study aimed to discover how food interacted with the body’s metabolic and hormonal control of appetite. Researchers focused on 20 overweight teenage girls who routinely skipped breakfast. Each girl completed three different six-day trials eating either a low-protein cereal breakfast (350 kcals, 13 g protein), a high-protein egg and beef breakfast (350 kcals, 35 g protein) or continuing to skip breakfast. After seven days they completed appetite and satiety questionnaires, provided blood samples to measure appetite hormones and had MRI scans to compare brain activity in response to different foods. Unsurprisingly, eating breakfast reduced daily hunger compared to skipping breakfast entirely. But interestingly, the high-protein breakfast increased feelings of fullness and reduced evening snacking compared  to the low-protein breakfast. This was because the high-protein breakfast reduced the release of appetite-boosting hormones (ghrelin and peptide YY) and suppressed  areas of the brain that increase food motivation and reward. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE If you want to cut down on snacking later in the day, eating a high-protein breakfast might be the way to go. This could be a useful strategy for people looking to lose weight and for athletes attempting to make weight for  a physique contest or sports event. This survey was restricted to overweight, breakfast-skipping girls but  it’s likely others will experience similar benefits. High-Protein Breakfasts Here are some options for power-packed starts to the day that will leave you feeling fuller later on. ► 2 large free-range boiled eggs ► 4 egg-white omelette ► Lean meats—chicken, beef, fish ► Greek yogurt ► Cottage cheese ► Whey or casein protein.