Off
to a Good Start...
Breakfast is a big deal at my house, but
it's far from what most people would consider
"traditional."
Over the years, I've stressed to my
family the importance of eating a healthy, protein-filled
breakfast. They understand and appreciate what I'm saying, but
there isn't a single one of us (other than my younger
daughter) who likes "breakfast" food -- and that's
led to some interesting breakfast choices. It isn't unusual
for my husband to heat up a grilled chicken breast, for
example, or for my children to slurp down some minestrone or
lentil soup so they get some protein in their morning meal.
I acknowledge that this is not
"normal." So, what can others do to shift their
mindset away from pancakes and donuts and into better
breakfast choices? Here's what I found out...
The Truth About
Breakfast
Most important to remember is that
traditional breakfast foods, such as pancakes and cereal, are
just our own cultural label. When it comes to the first meal
of the day, the dieticians I spoke with agree: What's
important is that you eat a healthy mix of soluble fiber (such
as oatmeal), low-glycemic-index carbohydrates (such as
apples), proteins and fats to boost your metabolism and give
you a long-lasting source of energy. It doesn't matter if the
mix comes from yogurt, whole-grain toast and an egg or a plate
of stir-fry.
The traditional breakfast choices fit
into one of three categories, each laden with problems...
-
Heavy in carbohydrates:
Things like sweetened cereals or even pancakes with syrup
are loaded with quick-burning carbs, which lead to spikes
in blood-sugar levels. The eventual result --
hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar -- leads to lethargy and
a desire to eat more high-sugar foods.
-
High in fat: Thanks
to bacon and sausage (and many processed foods), breakfast
can come loaded with saturated fat -- the worst kind of
fat, which when consumed in excess, can raise blood
cholesterol levels.
-
Nonexistent: Many
people skip breakfast with the idea that it's an easy way
to cut calories and lose weight. By not eating in the
morning, however, your metabolism stays lower longer,
meaning you burn fewer calories during the day. You also
set the stage for late-in-the-day bingeing -- skipping
breakfast could mean that you don't eat for 12 hours or
more, and you'll be so hungry that you're almost certain
to overeat -- which means the weight stays on.
The Right Choices
"There's nothing sacred about the
foods you choose for breakfast," says Susan Kleiner, PhD,
dietician and owner of High Performance Nutrition (www.powereating.com).
"What you want to hit is good nutrition. Making the right
choice at breakfast is going to make you feel better and
perform better all day."
The first step to eating a healthy
breakfast is taking the time to think about what you're
putting in your mouth. "If you don't pay attention to the
fact that you're eating," Dr. Kleiner says, "you
won't really notice what it is that you're eating. And that
can be a problem." Beyond that, our experts had six
strategies for creating a healthy breakfast...
-
Seek balance. Don't
think of your diet in terms of percentages -- after all,
how do you spot something that's 40% carbohydrates?
Instead, aim to cover the major food groups -- protein...
carbs (including fruits and veggies)... and healthy fats
-- when you eat breakfast. "Food is complex,"
says Dr. Kleiner. "You need to think of your food in
terms of combinations."
-
Load up with fiber. "One
of my first recommendations is to eat a cereal with a lot
of soluble fiber, such as oatmeal or whole-grain cereals.
Those with oats are even better," says William Evans,
PhD, director of the nutrition, metabolism and exercise
laboratory at the University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences. "The fiber slows the carbohydrate from
emptying from the stomach, which provides a more-sustained
release of sugar into the bloodstream over a longer period
of time so you don't have the sugar highs and lows."
-
Partake in protein. Besides
being crucial for muscle and cell maintenance, protein can
help you feel full, longer. And even though eggs have been
avoided for many years, both Dr. Evans and Dr. Kleiner
agree that they are a terrific source of high-quality
protein. "And there's lecithin in the yolk,"
adds Dr. Kleiner, "which is important for cognitive
function and mood elevation." Don't like eggs?
Chicken, fish or a handful of nuts fill the protein gap.
Remember, the Japanese eat sushi for breakfast, lunch and
dinner.
-
Include fruit. Fresh
fruit is sweet, delicious -- and a great source of
vitamins, minerals, fiber and other phytonutrients as well
as active enzymes. "With the new dietary guidelines,
we're all trying to increase our fruit and vegetable
intake," Dr. Evans says. Many fruits, such as apples,
bananas, berries and grapes, are portable, too, making
them great for on-the-go eaters.
-
Include some healthy fat -- not
the saturated kind found in bacon and sausage. Healthy fat
intake consists of a balance of saturated, monounsaturated
and polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fats are essential,
but just keep them in proper balance (usually about 10%)
of total fat content. Other good sources of
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats include flaxseed
and organic nut butters such as almond butter or peanut
butter. "Add ground flaxseed to cereal and smoothies,
and you'll also benefit from the seed's fibers, called
lignans, that promote gut health," says Dr. Kleiner.
The nut butters also provide protein. Have some on a piece
of whole-grain toast.
-
Make it "to go" if
you are busy. Don't have time for breakfast?
You're wrong. Grab a slice of whole-grain toast, cover it
with peanut butter and banana, and hit the road. Or, Dr.
Kleiner suggests, grab a smoothie (mix soy or rice milk,
banana plus other fruits, and a touch of oat bran and
flaxseed oil in a blender) and a piece of whole-grain
toast. It's fast, easy and much, much healthier than
anything you can pick up at a drive-thru.
Planned Death
Interestingly, a critical way our
bodies' cells maintain life is by knowing when to die.
Counterintuitive though it may seem, programmed cell death
(called apoptosis) is necessary as the means to
maintain balance with cells' ongoing proliferation.
In fact, scientists say that failure of
this system plays a role in cancer, autoimmune disorders and
neurodegenerative disease. Because of this, researchers have
been eager to fully understand how programmed cell death takes
place and what causes the system to sometimes go awry. It now
appears that a new study, led by Dartmouth Medical School
geneticist Barbara Conradt, PhD, reveals vital clues to help
solve the puzzle of apoptosis.
A Lesson in Cell
Function
If you think back to your biology
lessons, you will recall that cells contain structures
(organelles) called mitochondria, which produce the
energy that powers cellular activity. Scientists know that in
mammals, mitochondria also release molecules that bring about
programmed cell death. The Dartmouth study showed that
mitochondria in roundworms, specifically C. elegans
worms, also program cell death.
Why does this matter? I wondered as
well, so I called cancer researcher Andreas Bergmann, PhD,
assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at
the University of Texas' M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
The Importance of
Worms
Dr. Bergmann says that the study's
findings are exciting for several reasons. First, the study
shows that the apoptosis process in the simple system of C.
elegans is virtually identical to that in mammals, in spite of
the significant difference in the complexity of their biologic
and molecular structures. This will allow researchers to use
simple and rapidly producing worms for their research, which
should generate important findings more readily. The second
exciting finding of the study is that it established how
mitochondria program cell death -- by becoming smaller, or
fragmenting.
Dr. Bergmann says that this research is
an important step forward in helping scientists determine ways
to kill diseased cells or to discover why they are failing to
die. The failure to die is hypothesized as happening in many
cancer patients -- the cancerous cells are not programmed to
die. Future research will hopefully lead the way for doctors
to manipulate the system to rid the body of cancer and other
diseased cells. Stay tuned.
Be well,
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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