Mom always told you to eat a good breakfast. Now there's research proof from the University of Missouri that teens who eat a healthy breakfast, particularly one rich in protein, can curb their appetite and prevent overeating later in the day. This could make breakfast a successful dietary strategy to help regulate food intake.
Research conducted by Heather Leidy, assistant professor specializing in appetite control at the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, found that overweight "breakfast skipping" teens who eat a protein-rich breakfast feel fuller longer and are less hungry throughout the day compared to when they skip breakfast or consume a normal breakfast.
Even more interesting, she said, are brain scan findings illustrating that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduces the need to snack due to food motivation and food reward urges.
In an article recently published in Obesity journal, Leidy described how she worked with overweight and obese teen girls who habitually skipped breakfast.
Reviewed 2013-02-18