Even with good intentions, breakfast often ends up being a weight loss sabotaging meal. The reason? Sugar.
Many convenient and low fat foods contain an abundance of sugar. Sugar improves taste, is inexpensive, and works against weight loss endeavors.
Why Sugar and Weight Loss Don't Get Along
Sugar promotes weight gain in part because it has such a strong and rapid effect on blood sugar.
Sugar is digested and absorbed quickly. Eating a meal high in sugar will lead to a large jump in the amount of sugar in the blood. The body wants to get this elevated blood sugar level, also called blood glucose level, back to normal and cues the cells to absorb it. Any blood sugar not immediately needed for energy will be converted and stored as fat. This is where sugar starts to blunt your weight loss efforts.
The faster the blood sugar level goes up the faster it comes down.
A post-meal rapid drop in blood sugar often triggers fatigue and hunger. Fatigue can make sugar look even more appealing as a means to get energy levels back up. Hunger cues eating for more obvious reasons. Both can lead to overeating and subsequent weight gain.
Literacy to the Rescue
When a food has an ingredients list check to see if sugar has been added. If it has, look for an alternative with no sugar or sugar substitute added. This is especially important if it is one of your staple foods (admittedly, change here is not comfortable, but I think you'll like the results).
Keep in mind that sugar has many other names including fructose, sucrose, and any other word ending in -ose, among others. Foods sweetened with fruit juice, commonly grape, also go on the sugar list as fruit juices have a similar effect.
Sweeter Alternatives
Many products have gone fat-free and added sugar to improve taste. This has turned out to be an unnecessary trade. Research has suggested that many fat-free diets are poor avenues for weight loss and that diets including healthy fats can be used effectively to lose weight.
So what are some good breakfast options?
Steel cut oats with raw walnuts and shredded coconut, steamed broccoli egg scramble with avocado, an apple and a handful of raw almonds, full fat or 2% plain yogurt with 1/2 a banana, and even last night's leftovers of veggies and a quality meat can be good options.
It does take some experimentation to find a breakfast that fits well for you. There is no one ideal because different people can respond differently to the same foods. Try one meal for breakfast and see where your energy level is at. If you feel bloated and gassy after eating it is probably not right for you.
Lastly, it is good to find a breakfast that will leave you feeling satisfied for 3 to 4 hours. Hunger one hour after eating is a common sign of either too much sugar or refined carbohydrates in a meal and/or not enough fat and protein.
Anyway, time for breakfast.
Ryan is the owner of Integrative Personal Training is Los Altos, California. Read more of his articles and learn about his exercise and nutrition services at www.integrativepersonaltraining.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Starnes
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