How Can Health Professionals Help Clients That Skip Breakfast but Want to Lose Weight?

• Encourage breakfast that includes fiber and protein to curb appetite. Some examples are fruit with peanut butter or whole-grain crackers and a boiled egg.
• Make breakfast at night to save time in the morning. Some quick ideas are overnight oats, a peanut butter sandwich, or Greek yogurt and fruit.
• Pay attention to hunger versus habit. Dinner does not have to be the largest meal of the day.
• Discuss the benefits of breakfast in heart disease prevention.
• Suggest leftovers for breakfast. Think outside the cereal box.

By Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LDReferences:

1. St-Onge, A. J., Baskin, M. L., Johnson, H. M., Chiuve, S. E., Kris-Etherton, P., & Varady, K. (2017). Meal Timing and Frequency: Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 135(9), 96–121. https://doi.org/10.1161
2. Ruddick-Collins, L. C., Morgan, P. J., Fyfe, C. L., Filipe, J. A. N., Horgan, G. W., Westerterp, K. R., Johnston, J. D., & Johnstone, A. M. (2022). Timing of daily calorie loading affects appetite and hunger responses without changes in energy metabolism in healthy subjects with obesity. Cell Metabolism, 34(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.08.001