Eating a BIG breakfast may help you burn DOUBLE the amount of calories

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We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day but it seems eating a big breakfast, instead of a large dinner, may help you burn DOUBLE the amount of calories, a new study has found.

Eating more at the start of the day may help boost metabolism and suppress appetite.

Crispy Potato Hash with Smashed Avo RecipeCheck out our Crispy Potato Hash with Smashed Avo & Poached Eggs recipe here.

Having a big breakfast can help you burn off DOUBLE the amount of calories

Researchers at Lubeck University in Germany studied 16 men, some of whom consumed a small breakfast followed by a large dinner and then vice versa.

Experts found that filling up first thing could help boost metabolism, through a process known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).

DIT is the number of calories the body expends to digest food, and if was found to be twice as high for those who had a larger breakfast. It tends to be slower in the evening.

Eating a BIG breakfast may help you burn DOUBLE the amount of calories

Find the recipe for our Sweet Potato And Egg Brekkie Bites here.

Of the participants who had a higher calorie meal in the morning, their DIT was 2.5 higher than in the evening.

What’s more, results showed that blood sugar and insulin concentrations was diminished after breakfast, and also suppressed sweet cravings.

“Our results show a meal eaten for breakfast – regardless of the amount of calories it contains – creates twice as high diet-induced thermogenesis as the same meal consumed for dinner,” says study author Dr. Juliane Richter.

“This finding is significant for all people as it underlines the value of eating enough at breakfast. Eating more at breakfast instead of dinner could prevent obesity and high blood sugar.

“We recommend that patients with obesity as well as healthy people eat a large breakfast rather than a large dinner to reduce body weight and prevent metabolic diseases.”

The main reasons mums skip breakfast (and how to overcome the excuses)

Breakfast So Important Collage

There is a multitude of reasons why people skip breakfast.

Too busy, not hungry, makes them feel queasy, get up too late or have to get out the door to work or school. But because breakfast is so important, we need to work around these issues.

1. Too busy

3 best breads to eat and still lose weight

A piece of toast with peanut butter and banana or a jar of yoghurt and berries can be eaten on the go.

Or prep your Healthy Mummy Smoothie the night before and blend it up in the morning in around two minutes. Seriously, who doesn’t have a few minutes?

2. Not hungry

Savoury Muffins

Some people wake up ravenous, where others wake up and they’re just not hungry. That’s okay. It just means you need to make a breakfast that you can eat a bit later on.

savoury muffin with ham, cheese and tomato can sit patiently in your bag until you need it. So can a jar of overnight oats.

You just can’t rely on your body to get you through to lunch if you don’t prepare to feel hungry at some point before midday. You’ll find a stack of healthy breakfast ideas in the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe hub.

3. Get up too late

Dairy Free Coconut Pash Chia Pudding

This excuse is easily rectified, get up ten minutes earlier! Seriously your health and weight loss goals are worth making the effort for. You might benefit from preparing your breakfast the night before so that you can just grab and go.

Think chia puddings, mini quiches, and porridge all work well. We have LOTS of chia pudding and porridge recipes to suit every taste in the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe hub.

4. Have to go to work

Frittata

If you don’t fancy eating breakfast before you go to work, why not take breakfast with you? Make a big batch of porridge that you can heat up each day when you get to work.

Prepare a frittata from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge that you can keep in the work fridge and just heat and eat when you’re hungry. Keep some ham and cheese at work and some wraps in your desk drawer to prepare a quick wrap for breakfast to go with your mid-morning cuppa.

Healthy ideas for fast and delicious breakfasts

smoothie

So what are some good options for breakfast that are easy, fast, delicious AND will keep you feeling full? You need two main elements – fibre and protein. Here are some ideas.

  1. Healthy Mummy Smoothie is so versatile AND you can prep your mix-ins for the whole week to save you even more time.
  2. Eggs are brilliant in the morning as they’re filling and super fast. You’ll love these ten minute baked Italian Eggs.
  3. A quick muesli slice that you can eat on the go.
  4. Porridge with some berries and Greek yoghurt on top.
  5. Homemade granola topped with yoghurt and banana.
  6. Sourdough toast with some low-fat ricotta, banana and honey.
  7. Fruit salad with Greek yoghurt, pumpkin seeds or LSA sprinkled on top.
  8. A toasted sandwich with some low-fat ricotta and ham, or this Cauliflower Cheese Toastie
  9. Boiled eggs and soldiers. Perfect for the kids as well.
  10. healthy muffin like our Breakfast Hummingbird Muffin is a great meal to-go.

Join thousands of mums on the MUMS ONLY Challenge

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Whether you have five kilograms to lose or 35 kilograms to lose – The Healthy Mummy is here to SUPPORT YOU and your PERSONAL WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY.

To find out more on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge click here.

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