Does Eating Breakfast Make You Hungry?

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But what if eating breakfast makes you HUNGRIER than if you ate nothing? You try to do the right thing and pour yourself a bowl of healthy cereal topped with a banana but an hour later you are ravenous! Why does eating breakfast make you hungry and what can you do about it?

I frequently hear my clients tell me that the reason why they avoid breakfast is that once they eat something, they are hungry for the rest of the day. Obviously this is a problem if you are trying to watch your weight. I’ve blogged in the past about the benefits of breakfast (increased energy, speeding metabolism, lowering body fat, improving mental concentration, etc).

Why does eating breakfast make you hungry?

What you eat for breakfast can determine how it affects your hunger. For many people, eating processed carbs for breakfast will increase hunger. This is because these foods rapidly break down into sugar, which cause insulin levels to shoot up and then plummet … leading to more hunger. Examples: bagels, jumbo muffins, refined or sugary cereals. The problem is that most breakfast foods are full of carbs! Even a healthy breakfast of a whole grain cereal, fruit and milk may be too carb heavy for some people. The result: increased hunger.

Hunger taming breakfast ideas

Your best bet is to add protein, fat and fiber to breakfast as they won’t trigger the insulin response like processed carbs and will keep you feeling full longer. If you feel having the bread triggers you, find another carb that doesn’t increase hunger (i.e. high fiber cracker or low glycemic fruit) Or some people may find that all carbs in the morning trigger more hunger. In that case, just have the protein/fat – but don’t load up on saturated fat “Atkins style!” Suggestions:

1. 2 Eggs with a slice of whole grain toast (protein/fat in eggs, fiber in bread)
   
2. Egg white omelet with veggies a sprinkle of cheese or a few avocado slices and some fruit (protein in egg whites, fat in cheese or avocado, fiber in berries) pic credit: momlogic.com
3. 2% Greek yogurt, with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or flaxseeds and berries (protein/fat in yogurt, fat in seeds, fiber in fruit
4. 2% Greek yogurt with ½ cup whole grain cereal and berries (protein/fat in yogurt, fiber in cereal and fruit
5.  Egg in a mug from Hungry Girl. Fun recipes and you don’t even have to dirty a pan! (protein and little fat)
6. 2 tablespoons nut butter on a whole wheat English muffin or an apple (protein/fat in nut butter, fiber in bread or apple)
7. 1 oz cheese, 1 slice of avocado and a slice tomato on a Flatout wrap – melted (protein/fat in the cheese and avocado and fiber in the bread
8. 8 oz Container of 1% cottage cheese with berries added in (protein in the cottage cheese and fiber in the berries)You will need to pay attention to how various breakfast foods make you feel as some foods may trigger hunger while other food do not.

What kind of breakfast helps keep you feeling full?