Looking to lose a few pounds? Dish up a bigger breakfast. Recent research shows that a morning meal that's 400 to 500 calories helps you feel full and may make it easier to stick to your diet. The secret ingredient: approximately 200 calories of lean protein, like eggs or low-fat Canadian bacon. "In our study, people who ate extra protein in the a.m. felt more satisfied," says study author Heather Leidy, PhD, an assistant professor of dietetics and nutrition at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. "Protein keeps you fuller longer than carbs, so eating it for breakfast helps you cut calories all day." Taking time for breakfast is one of the smartest things you can do for your health. Women who eat it every day are not only thinner, but they also have lower cholesterol levels and less risk for type 2 diabetes than those who skip it, research shows. That's because breakfast foods tend to be high in health-boosting nutrients like fiber, experts say. Not the morning-meal type? "A lot of people don't have time for it, but they pay the price by overeating later," says FITNESS advisory board member Leslie Bonci, RD, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "It's crucial to have something healthy."
Rise and Dine
Having a big breakfast doesn't mean you have to nibble a tiny salad for dinner. If you're trying to lose weight, stick to a 1200-1,600-calories-a-day plan, aiming for 300 to 500 calories at each meal with enough reserved for a snack or two.
Buckwheat is not as common in the United States as grains such as wheat or oats, but you can use it in many of the same applications and receive numerous nutritional benefits. You can purchase buckwheat as a flour to use in baked goods or as groats for a hot cereal. Toasted buckwheat, typically referred to as kasha, is also common. However you choose to use it, buckwheat is a good option for adding variety and nutrition to your diet.
A quarter-cup serving of buckwheat contains 146 calories, 1 gram fat, 30 grams of carbohydrate and 6 grams protein. Of the calories in one serving, 79 percent come from carbohydrates, 8 percent from fat and 13 percent from protein. Although buckwheat contains a moderate amount of protein, it is not a complete protein. The carbohydrate content of buckwheat includes 4 grams of fiber, which is 17 percent of the daily value.
Buckwheat is a good source of many essential B vitamins. Each serving contains 15 percent of the daily value of niacin, 11 percent riboflavin, 5 percent pantothenic acid, 4 percent vitamin B6, 3 percent thiamine and 3 percent folate. Buckwheat is not a good source of vitamins A, B12, C, D, E or K.
Buckwheat is an excellent source of many essential minerals. One serving provides 28 percent of manganese, 25 percent magnesium, 23 percent copper, 15 percent phosphorus, 7 percent zinc, 6 percent potassium, 5 percent selenium and 5 percent iron. The iron content of buckwheat is not as bioavailable as it is in animal sources; however, you can increase its absorption by consuming it with foods containing vitamin C, such as orange juice.
Wheat and wheat products contain a protein called gluten, which is not tolerated by people with celiac disease. Although buckwheat sounds like a wheat-related grain, it actually is not a grain and does not contain gluten. Buckwheat is fruit seed and is classified as a pseudocereal, along with plants like quinoa and amaranth.
Buckwheat is rich in many phytonutrients that promote health and may help prevent the onset of chronic diseases. Buckwheat is a good source of the antioxidant flavonoid rutin, which may help to protect the heart against oxidative damage. Other phytonutrients in buckwheat include lignans, phenolics and chiro-inositol, each of which has specific health-promoting effects. For example, chiro-inositol may help lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.
