Breakfast presents dietary challenges for many in Brevard

FloridaToday.com
Megan K. Scott

Time frequently sabotages the most important meal of your day

Like most moms, Monica Schumacher's mornings are a bit busy; she has less than an hour to get herself and her daughter out the door.

So breakfast for her 6-year-old has to be simple: frozen waffles or pancakes, a yogurt and fruit, some instant cream of wheat. She herself grabs a granola bar and a banana on her way to the car.

"You are always feeling rushed as a mom," said Schumacher of Rockledge, a third-grade teacher at Tropical Elementary on Merritt Island. With her husband's help, she pulls out of the drive with her daughter in tow at 6:50 a.m. "You always feel like you are on the go."

We've all been told breakfast is the most important meal of the day, what we need after a night of fasting to get us going in the morning. An ongoing study of people who have maintained weight loss of at least 30 pounds for more than a year (National Weight Control Registry) shows eating breakfast helps control weight. Breakfast eaters tend to consume fewer calories and less saturated fat and cholesterol than skippers.

But many of us do breakfast haphazardly. We gobble a bowl of cereal, throw a granola bar in our bag or pull through the drive-through for a latte and muffin en route to the office.

"It's very important to have some fiber-rich carbs -- whole grains, fresh fruit, lean protein," said Christina Bartlett, registered dietitian and owner of Everything in Moderation in Palm Bay.

But the most important meal can be challenging. What if we aren't hungry? Why are we starving by mid-morning when we eat breakfast? Or what if we are simply too busy in the morning? Here are answers to common breakfast-eating scenarios:

Not Hungry

People say they're not hungry in the morning partly out of habit, said Robyn Flipse, a registered dietitian in Bradley Beach, N.J. Perhaps they are not used to eating in the morning or ate right before going to bed. Those habits can be changed.

"You need to eat in the morning because you have gone a long stretch without eating," she said. "There's no question that your stomach is empty. Your blood sugar is lower."

She recommends breaking breakfast into two meals. Perhaps eat a piece of whole-wheat toast and an egg and then two hours later, a yogurt with berries.

Second breakfast

"If you're hungry two hours after breakfast, it's because you didn't have a big enough meal or a meal made up of components like fiber or protein," Flipse said.

She suggests eating 8 to 12 grams of protein with fiber-rich whole grains.

Cereals, such as Kashi GoLean and Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeal are higher in protein and fiber to keep you fuller longer, Bartlett said.

Don't starve, she said. If you need a midmorning snack, eat a handful of nuts, a granola bar or some peanut butter on a banana.

Rushed morning

In many households, the better part of the morning is spent getting kids out of bed, dressed and off to school, which means breakfast often is rushed.

Sara Hatfield of Rockledge, who cooks three different breakfasts for her three children who go to three different schools, said the key is getting them morning-ready the night before.

"You just have to be well organized," said Hatfield, whose three boys are 8, 12 and 14. She usually makes scrambled eggs and toast or pancakes. "Laying the clothes out the night before. Getting the bookbags packed. And coffee also helps."

While you may not have time to cook in the mornings, try to get something nourishing in your kids -- lean protein, whole grains and dairy, Flipse said. (Research shows skipping breakfast can make kids tired and irritable, and there is evidence that kids who eat a healthy breakfast are calmer and more focused). Be flexible about the meal, Flipse said. It doesn't have to be a breakfast food; healthy dinner leftovers are fine.

If your kids leave really early for school, give them something portable, such as a granola bar, a piece of fruit or yogurt to eat on the way, she said.

Big breakfast

Tricia Cunningham said she lost 170 pounds eating her dinner for breakfast: a piece of chicken, a baked potato, broccoli, for example. She eats a smaller lunch and then has a bowl of cereal or something else light for dinner.

"I totally reversed how I ate, what I ate and how much I ate," said Cunningham, co-author of "The Reverse Diet: Lose 20, 50, 100 Pounds or More by Eating Dinner for Breakfast and Breakfast for Dinner."

She lost the weight in 1999 and 2000. "I saw immediate results. I lost 40 pounds in the first month."

Research supports eating a bigger meal earlier in the day when we are more active.

But while Cunningham had results eating dinner for breakfast (she had barbecue chicken for breakfast one day last week), it's not a practical plan for many people, Flipse said.

She suggests finding out the number of calories your body needs and spreading those calories out evenly throughout the day. Several websites have calorie intake calculators based on age, gender, physical activity, height and weight.

As long as you don't go over that number, you should be able to maintain your weight, she said. Of course, if you are trying to lose weight, you want to reduce your caloric intake, she added.

Weekend breakfast

Many people overeat on the weekends. Breakfast is later, bigger, and not that healthy. Pancakes with syrup, eggs and sausage, for example.

But going overboard on one meal a week can sabotage weight-loss efforts, said Phara Jourdan Taylor, a registered dietitian in Port St. Lucie. She said splurging leads to restricting, which is dieting, and diets don't work.

"You're going to eat out and that's fine, and you're going to get the extra calories and that's fine," she said. "You still want to have a balanced meal."

Choose a carb, lean protein and some kind of vegetable or fruit, she said. For example, a pancake, slice of rye bread or half cup of hash browns, some scrambled eggs or a vegetable omelet, and a piece of fruit.

Be sure to eat again in a few hours, Bartlett said. You want to get back on track.

"You shouldn't go ahead and skip meals just because you had a big breakfast," she said. "Just make healthier choices throughout the day."

Contact Scott at 242-3612 or mkscott@floridatoday.com.