Eat More Dessert! July 16, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Exercise & Fitness, Food & Drink, Happiness.comments closed
Want to lose weight? It’s easy . . . eat more dessert.
Now that I have your complete and undivided attention and you’ve turned off your smart phones, here’s the sweet scoop on sweets:
Having a sweet treat with a protein-packed breakfast may help you lose weight.
Yes, you read that right. Dessert. With breakfast!
Sweet!
Researchers in Israel followed a group of obese and overweight adults for eight months. Half the group ate a 300-calorie low carb breakfast (hardly worth getting out of bed for). The other half of the study celebrated the advent of each day with a 600-calorie breakfast which included protein, carbs, AND a small dessert of ice cream or chocolate.
“During an initial 16-week period, the average weight loss in each group was identical — about 32 pounds. But over a 16-week follow-up, people on the dessert-with-breakfast diet lost an additional 13 pounds on average, while the others gained back all but 3.5 of the pounds they had lost.”
~ Dessert for Breakfast May Help Dieters (NYTimes)
In other words, the dessert group lost, on average, 40 pounds more than the low carb and calorie group.
Daniela Jakubowicz, MD, lead author and professor at Tel Aviv University, suggests that “the extra protein kept participants satiated and the sweet treat boosted serotonin levels and helped stave off sugar cravings later in the day.”
Here . . . have a cookie!
Aah . . . that’s better!
To read more: Dessert for Breakfast (Oprah) * Treat Yourself (Time) * Eat Dessert for Breakfast (GreenMedInfo) * Avoid Weight Regain (Science Daily)
For more on cookies: A Tale of Radishes & Cookies
Spirit Lights The Way 