July 2013: Question 2
Question 2: The results of this study
show the importance of eating breakfast daily for optimal health and consuming
an overall healthier diet. The article
aimed at health and nutrition professionals explains the importance of
breakfast to decrease overeating throughout the day and the promotion of more
efficient energy use by increasing thermogenesis, decreasing BMI. How would you explain to a client the importance
of eating breakfast to prevent overweight and obesity or maintain a healthy
weight? What strategies would you use as
a dietitian to promote breakfast to the general population?
posted by Unknown @ 1:13 PM
17 comments
17 Comments:
A large majority of the population does not eat breakfast for one reason or another. The reasons that I generally hear from individuals for skipping breakfast is lack of time or they are trying to lose weight. I think that I would inform the client on the benefits of breakfast and how eating breakfast does not lead loosing weight. I would inform them that when they deprive their bodies of food after a night of fasting, they are likely going to over eat and their bodies will likely crave unhealthy foods. It is as simple as listening to their bodies and eating when they are hungry and stopping when they are full. I would also give the client suggestions on quick foods they can grab for breakfast if they are running late.
I would emphasize three take-home messages when explaining to a client the importance of eating breakfast to prevent overweight and obesity or maintain a healthy weight. First, eating breakfast reduces hunger and is associated with healthier insulin responses. The prolonged fasting that results from not eating a morning meal can increase the body’s insulin response, which in turn increases fat storage and weight gain. Second, eating breakfast helps set the stage for making healthy choices the rest of the day. Third, eating breakfast may make you feel more energized by refueling the glycogen stores that supply the muscles with immediate energy. Feeling more energized may help keep you committed to your exercise regimen which compliments your efforts to maintaining/reaching a healthy weight.
Strategies that I would use to promote breakfast to the general population center around identifying the greatest barriers they have to consuming breakfast. If, for example, poor breakfast consumption is due to a perceived lack of time, I would provide education on how to purchase and prepare healthy on-the-go options. Providing cooking demos, educational materials, and grocery store tours would be the tools I’d use to reach the public.
As previously mentioned, I agree that breakfast is often skipped for various reasons (time, not "feeling hungry," trying to lose weight). When counseling patients in the past, I always emphasized the need for one's body to be re-charged or "gassed" up for the day like a vehicle. You can't effectively run on empty all day. Those calories one consumes in the AM have all day to be burned! I would also emphasize that if you wait too long to eat you will wait until you are over-hungry, likely consume more than you need and possibly a poor choice because you want what you can eat now and quickly!
Strategies I would provide would be to identify what types of foods the individual likes to eat and what barriers they are having to eating breakfast. Then I would develop a breakfast plan that removes the barriers and provides menu ideas that are realistic.
Not only would I stress the importance of eating breakfast, but rather the necessity of getting consistent meals throughout the day. Especially for active people, it is important to fuel your body with the proper nutrients and energy that it needs. Often I just think people need a guideline or a goal in order to change their behavior. I would recommend waiting no longer than 2 hours within waking up to have your first meal and then to go no longer than 3-4 hours without a meal or snack.
Any campaign that emphasizes the importance of breakfast for cognition and metabolism benefits would be effective for the general public. I feel there has been a large push for people stop skipping breakfast recently.
For those trying to lose weight, I would say to my client that although you think skipping breakfast will help you to lose weight research has not shown this to be helpful. In fact, those who consume breakfast tend to have a lower BMI. Starving your body just makes you hold on to your energy reserves more tightly, and you also tend to overeat at your next meal because of the hunger. General healthy eating presentations would suffice because they would emphasize small, frequent meals and good food choices. Breakfast can be addressed in any consult with a client or group education.
I agree with Kaitlin that we really have been stressing breakfast recently, maybe more so than usual. We also have more research to back the saying that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," so its easier to promote breakfast over skipping.
Sarah S said...
I would just explain that eating breakfast helps you to stay fuller longer so that you don't feel extreme hunger come lunch time. I would also mention the fact that eating right away, especially some protein, seems to help with building protein (versus fat) and helps keep you feeling fuller longer. A strategy I would use would be to make healthy suggestions that are easy for people to grab, as likely the people who skip breakfast do so because they feel they don't have time to eat.
Sarah S said...
I agree with Kaitlin's point about getting consistent meals throughout the day. It is much more likely that people will over-eat if they feel hungry from skipping meals and snacks.
I would explain that breakfast kick starts your body's metabolism into the right frame of mind for the day (kind of like what coffee does for the brain). It helps your body switch to the right hormones for burning fat rather than storing it. When you skip breakfast, your blood sugars fluctuate more throughout the day as well. This is a recipe for weight gain as your body switches to conservation and survival mode when it doesn't get food for a while.
I think it is important to focus on quick and easy things people can do to get breakfast in. Yogurt and fruit or granola are great examples. People can even store breakfast at work, such as oatmeal packets, if they are really short on time.
I would teach the client that after an entire night of fasting, our bodies have slowed down. This includes our thinking process and metabolism. I would then explain that eating anything, even if it is a small breakfast, lets our body know that it can speed up again and will continue to b fed. This way our metabolism can burn calories faster and our brains will think better. If this did not work, I would emphasize that our brains run only off of carbohydrates and we do not store carbohydrates for very long. By not eating food with carbohydrates in the morning, we are not feeding our brain, making it more difficult to think and make decisions.
I feel like some people out in the world feel like breakfast involves the whole nine yards like bacon, eggs, toast, etc. However, a little something is better than nothing. People make the excuse of not having enough time in the morning. But, that's not a good excuse since there can be quick grab and go breakfast items. I would say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day to jump start their metabolism. Also, I would state that protein is a necessity in the morning too. In order to promote breakfast, I would present easy, quick recipe ideas. It would involve recipes that could be made beforehand and then reheated in the microwave quickly.
Carly comment, "a little something is better than nothing" hits the nail on the head. A big excuse I hear from those who skip breakfast is that there just isn't enough time. Promoting that idea that even a quick meal, not the "whole nine yards," is beneficial.
I like how Courtney brought the brain into the explanation. That may spark people's interest if they aren't just hearing about the metabolism. People need to know that what we eat affects the body as a whole.
I agree with Kaitlin that these individuals are most likely more active then the general public so keeping their bodied fueled and getting in a good breakfast will be important.
To an individual client I would first crush the myth that skipping a meal like breakfast helps you lose weight. I would then go into just how important breakfast is. I would explain the metabolism side of things along with it just helping with preventing overeating.
As far as the general population goes I think it would be best to simplify things and hit the key points. Short campaign blurps I think would go over best and people would remember it.
Carly made a good point about emphasizing what a healthy breakfast looks like compared to what Americans typically eat. This education along with research backing the importance of consistent meals would be effective.
I also like Carly's point. A little something is better than nothing, and probably much better than bacon eggs, sausage, pancakes, and milk all in one meal!
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