All calories aren't created equal. And breakfast matters.
Those are some of the lessons from today's Health Journal column, in which Melinda Beck writes that what you eat─and when you eat it─can make a big difference in controlling appetite and satiety.
Ms. Beck reports on the 'The Skinny,' a new book by Louis J. Aronne, longtime director of the Comprehensive Weight Loss Program at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. 'It's true that a calorie is a calorie,' Dr. Aronne told Ms. Beck. 'But what that doesn't take into account is how some calories affect what people eat later on.'
One of Dr. Aronne's key messages is a tough one for many jugglers and their kids to follow: Eat breakfast. But don't just grab a muffin or a pastry on-the-go, for you and the kids.
Instead, have the family load up on lean protein─ideally from egg whites or a protein shake. Eating protein-rich foods in the morning reduces hunger all day long, Dr. Aronne says, which lessens the chances of bingeing later on. Eating muffins, bread, sugar cereal or juice does the opposite.
Dr. Aronne suggests trying his plan yourself: 'Have 200 calories of egg white omelette or protein shake for breakfast, and then another day have 200 calories of juice and look at your hunger, hour after hour.'
Some people argue that they aren't hungry in the morning, but Dr. Aronne notes that ghrelin, the hormone that typically signals hunger, adjusts to habitual meal patterns. After a few days of eating breakfast, you should find that you are hungry in the morning, and are eating less the night before, he writes.
If it's too much trouble to make eggs, protein shakes are just as effective. What's more, you can sip them while you're getting dressed or on the commute. You can buy protein shakes in cans at health food or vitamin stores (but if you're trying to lose weight, don't go for ones high in sugar, made with sweet yogurt or ice cream.) You can also make your own. His book includes the following simple recipe:
1 1/2 cups of frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 scoops of protein powder (vanilla-flavored works best)
1 pint water or skim milk
Blend until smooth. It's just 300 calories for two pints, if you make it with water. (More recommendations from Dr. Aronne's research can be found in today's column.)
Readers, is breakfast a part of your juggle, or are you just too time-strapped, or not hungry early in the day, to eat well in the morning? What's your family's typical breakfast routine?
同樣的熱量,產生的效果卻不相同。在這方面,早餐非常重要。
這些是從今天的健康專欄所能得到的一些知識。貝克(Melinda Beck)在其中寫道,我們的飲食內容和時間對控制食欲和吃飽的感覺會有很大影響。
貝克談到了長期擔任紐約長老會醫院/威爾•康奈爾醫療中心綜合減肥項目主任的亞隆(Louis J. Aronne)出版的新書《瘦身》(The Skinny)。亞隆告訴貝克說,的確,熱量就是熱量。但是,這當中并沒有考慮一些熱量是如何對人們之后的飲食產生影響的。
亞隆的一個主要思想讓許多忙碌者和他們的孩子很難做到,那就是:吃早餐。但是,無論是對你還是對孩子,都不能抓塊松餅或甜點在路上消滅了事。
相反,應該讓家人吃的是精蛋白,比較理想的是蛋白或高蛋白飲品。亞隆說,早上吃富含蛋白質的食物能減少全天的饑餓感,從而減少之后大吃特吃的機會。吃松餅、面包、甜麥片或果汁的效果恰恰相反。
亞隆建議你可以試試他的方案:用200卡路里的蛋清煎蛋或高蛋白飲品作為早餐,第二天再喝含有200卡路里的果汁,每隔一小時體會一下饑餓感。
有些人爭辯說,他們早上不感到餓,但亞隆指出,產生饑餓感的激素──生長素會根據飲食習慣做出調整。他寫道,吃了幾天早餐后,你就會發現你早上有饑餓感了,另外就是前一天晚上要少吃點。
如果做雞蛋太麻煩,高蛋白飲品也一樣有效。更重要的是,你在穿衣服或坐車上班時也可以喝。你可以在保健食品或維生素商店買到罐裝高蛋白飲品(但如果你想減肥,不要買用甜酸奶或冰淇淋做成的高糖高蛋白飲品。)你也可以自己動手做。他的書中給出了下面的簡單配方:
1杯半冷凍草莓
2湯匙磨碎的亞麻籽
2匙蛋白粉(香草味的最好)
1品脫水或脫脂牛奶
攪拌均勻。如果是用水配制,2品脫的熱量只有300卡路里。