Eating a high-protein breakfast—containing 35 grams of protein—may help overweight teens who typically skip breakfast stabilize their blood sugar and eat fewer calories without feeling hungry.
The key to eating 35 grams of protein is to consume a combination of high-quality proteins including milk, eggs, lean meats, and Greek yogurt, researchers say.
“This study examined if the type of breakfast consumed can improve weight management in young people who habitually skip breakfast,” says Heather Leidy, assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri.
“Generally, people establish eating behaviors during their teen years. If teens are able to develop good eating habits now, such as eating breakfast, it’s likely to continue the rest of their lives.”
For the study, published in the Journal of Obesity, researchers fed two groups of overweight teens, who reported skipping breakfast between five and seven times a week, either normal-protein breakfast meals or high-protein breakfast meals. A third group of teens continued to skip breakfast for 12 weeks.
