1. GO NUTTY
Constantly find yourself reaching for the office biscuit tin? Nix mid-morning hunger pangs by topping your morning slice of wholewheat toast with peanut butter; it could help you control cravings for up to 12 hours. That’s according to a 2013 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Nuts.
2. EGG ON YOUR PLATE
Skip the bagel, and scramble a couple of eggs instead. In a Louisiana State University study, participants who ate two eggs for breakfast every day for two months lost 65% more weight than participants who ate a bagel for breakfast, even though the bagel and the eggs were equal in calories. Why? Eggs boost PYY, a potent satiety hormone, while reducing levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. Eggs-cellent.
3. SIZE MATTERS
In a recent study from Penn State University, researchers crushed up cereal to create four different sizes of flakes and found that because the cereal that was crushed into smaller pieces was denser, people underestimated the number of calories in those bowls. So if you choose bigger cereal flakes, you'll consume fewer calories. Lesson learned.
4. PRUNE YOUR BUNS
If you love a fruit bun for breakfast, you’re in luck. Dried fruit can help you feel full for longer, a study from San Diego State University found. Women who ate 12 prunes (adding up to 240 calories) in one sitting and low-fat biscuits with the same number of calories in another, reported feeling significantly less hungry after eating the fruit than the biscuits. This is because fibre and sorbitol (a sugar alcohol that the body metabolises slowly) in prunes help to stabilise blood sugar levels. Sweet!
5. CHOOSE YOUR BREAKFAST BUDDIES
Got a breakfast meeting? Careful who you invite. In a recent study from the University of Illinois one group was given a normal menu, while a second group got one with published calorie ranges. What the first diner in the groups ordered had a bigger effect on other diners than the nutritional information. In other words, if your companion picks a high-calorie meal – say, waffles with extra bacon – then so will you.
6. CUT CALORIES WITH CUTLERY
We already know smaller plates make us eat less, but now scientists from Oxford University have revealed that colour matters, too. In a recent study, smaller, light-coloured spoons were found to make you perceive food as sweeter and denser than if you used big dark-hued cutlery.
7. DROWN FAT WITH COCOA
Good news: hot chocolate is healthy after all. New research shows that one mug per fortnight contains enough cacao to reduce your triglyceride levels (you know, the things that spike blood sugar and insulin) and restrict fat storage. Skip the sweetened cacao powder though and look for a brand made with unrefined cacao instead. Vitalife Cocoa Powder is a good option. Try it with coconut milk and you’ve got a Bounty in a mug.
8. PICK PORRIDGE
A bowl of cereal with large flakes is good, but bowl of porridge may be even better. That’s according to a recent study published in The Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Researchers gave one group of subjects porridge for breakfast, while a second group was served a ready-to-eat oat-based breakfast cereal. When asked to rate their appetite at regular intervals after finishing, the porridge eaters described themselves as less hungry and more satisfied than people who ate the same amount of calories in cereal.
9. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PROTEIN
Eating a protein-rich breakfast may help control appetite and curb snack urges in the evening, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. But that’s not an excuse to order extra bacon with your sausage, mind. Check out these protein-packed breakfast recipes or stock up on some of these protein balls.
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