Breakfast Portion Control

weight control
Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

https://vimeo.com/11137802Breakfast is not a meal that should be skipped. Consider these stats:

  • Less than half of Americans are eating breakfast every day (foodinsight.org)
  • Whole grains, fat-free milk products, fruits and vegetables are food groups to encourage (Dietary Guidelines). Breakfast eaters are more likely to have these items in their diets and research shows that people who skip breakfast are unlikely to make up for missed nutrients later in the day. (nutrition.gov, choosemyplate.gov)
  • Almost 80% of successful dieters polled in the National Weight Control Registry eat breakfast every day. (nwcr.ws)
  • Breakfast improves SAT scores and intellectual results in students who regularly consume adequate breakfasts.(nature.com)

Many choose to eat out for breakfast each day. Early morning lines are always long at coffee cafes, fast food restaurants, donut shops and kiosks. The beautiful display of rather large bakery items beckon for a splurge of a mouth-watering treat: bagels, croissants, Danishes, pound cake, scones, donuts and large meat/egg/cheese sandwiches. Starbucks alone serves over 20 million customers in one week (perfectcoffees.com)We did some research for the nutritional stats of popular breakfast items offered in coffee houses and bakeries. The numbers are not pretty. Most of the large bakery items you see in our chart top 500 calories and this does not include the coffee drink that comes with them. We came to one conclusion: Big + Baked = Diet Mistake. If a pastry is the size of your hand or larger it is going to be roughly 500 calories.A better option? Watch our video to see a healthy breakfast plate that offers more food, more fiber and more color for just 250 calories. Most people could make one in 2 minutes.Watch our show for a simple demonstration about portion control for breakfast. Then hurry on over to our store for our new Portion Control by the Meal DVD or CD - you can have a choice of PowerPoint, DVD or both! Let us know if you want to put this video on your site.What is your favorite breakfast? Please use our poll and add comments below.In the video you can see where we make a fun platter of fruits, vegetables and a few whole grain crackers. This gives you a fun variety and a whole plate of nutritious food for just 120-150 calories. Compare at the end where you can see a pile of chips versus a whole plate of food for the same amount – which do you think would make you feel more full?There is truth to the Ruffles potato chip commercial – you can’t eat just one!There is more info on this video here.

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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