Dieting’s Easier With High-Protein Breakfast

Dieting bacon-and-egg-lovers everywhere will wake up happy to know that a recent study says eating a breakfast of high-quality, lean meats, eggs, and dairy foods while dieting will produce feelings of fullness that last throughout the day. It’s true. Dieting’s easier with high-protein breakfast foods that are also low in fat and high in quality. Make that bacon Canadian bacon and enjoy breakfast once again.

The Purdue University study also discovered that added protein consumed at other meals throughout the day do not produce the same level of dietary satisfaction as occurs when the added protein is consumed for breakfast. Wayne W. Campbell, PhD, professor of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue, says his study is unique because it is an investigation of the value of protein consumption when consumed at various times of day and the evidence clearly indicates timing is crucial.

The Purdue research team enlisted men who were either overweight or obese who consumed a reduced-calorie diet for the study. The men were divided into groups according to their allowed protein intake. One group consumed what the federal government says is normal protein intake for a grown man - 11% to 14% of his daily diet. The other group enjoyed a higher protein intake, 18% to 25% of daily calories.

The group consuming increased amounts of protein ate their added allotment of protein at either breakfast, lunch, dinner, or evenly spaced at all meals throughout the day. For study purposes, Canadian bacon and eggs were the sources of the added protein.

When the added protein was consumed at breakfast, the study participants reported the greatest feelings of fullness, with that feeling lasting until the end of the day. This same level of fullness was not experienced when the added protein was consumed for lunch or dinner.

The Purdue study is the latest in a growing body of evidence that supports the consumption of high-quality protein-based foods for optimum weight management.

One recent study found that a weight-loss diet that includes two eggs at breakfast helped overweight adults shed the pounds while feeling more energetic doing so than their control-group counterparts who ate a bagel of equal calorie count for breakfast.

A previous Purdue study revealed a calorie-restricted diet consisting of added protein helped dieters feel fuller after eating and boosted their moods as well. The same study showed that this type diet is very effective in retaining lean body mass during a weight-reduction program.

The online journal, British Journal of Nutrition, published the findings of the most recent Purdue study earlier today. The study was funded by the American Egg Board, the Egg Nutrition Center, and the National Pork Board.

Source: The Egg Nutrition News Bureau

Filed under: Obesity