Protein for B'fast

A recent study out of Purdue University confirmed what we know, eating more protein at your meal leaves you more satisfied, but went further to develop an association with the timing of eating protein by comparing breakfast, lunch and dinner events. 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.

Most of us eat in a pattern that essentially end-loads our calorie intake. We want to try to change that pattern and begin to front-load our calorie intake at the start of the day. Here is a visual example of what I mean. Imagine a triangle sitting on it's base (the widest part). It has a skinny tip and gets wider as you move along to the base. Most people eat in a pattern that matches that image-less in the morning, noon and more calories as they go throughout their day into the night. Imagine flipping that triangle so it is sitting on it's sip with it's base in the air. Now an eating pattern that matches that image would have you front-loading your calories or taking in more throughout the morning hours and dwindling it down as you go into the evening. This type of eating pattern also mirrors how you body naturally runs it's "engine"--revvs in the morning, burns throughout the day and slows into the evening.

If you notice that you are always searching for a snack mid-morning or even an hour right after you eat breakfast, take a peak at what you are eating. If you aren't eating enough, work on boosting your breakfast. If you are eating enough, but only eating all carbohydrates (i.e. a big bowl of rice chex or a big bagel) get more balance by adding protein and fruits.

Here are a few protein ideas:
-Canadian bacon (this is more like a slice of ham, not bacon)
-1 oz of low-fat cheese
-1 tbsp of peanut butter
-eggs (hard boiled are easy to make on Sunday night for the week)
-1 oz of nuts
-1 slice of deli meat rolled with one slice of low-fat cheese
-whey protein added to fruit smoothie
-Greek yogurt

7-Day Goals: Think about your typical breakfast. Think about how soon after breakfast you feel hungry again. Take out a piece of paper and draw a triangle. Write down your meals in the empty triangle. Does your pattern look like it is more of a front-loaded pattern (more food in the morning/lunch hours, dwindling at night) or an end-loaded pattern (few calories in the morning and more throughout the evening). What changes can you commit to making to shake up your meal pattern?
~K