03/15/2019
Two Healthful Eating Habits
Two new studies have just been released that address commonly believed eating rules that have been held as truths throughout the years concerning breakfast and midnight snacks. The results are interesting.
Rather than focusing specifically on midnight snacks, researchers looked at the
length of time the time span during which we eat each day. The research from the
Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego found that mice with restricted hours for eating avoided obesity and metabolic problems.
In the study, which appeared in the journal
Cell Metabolism in December, groups of adult male mice were fed one of four diets: high-fat, high-fructose, high-fat and high-sucrose, or regular mouse kibble. In each these dietary groups some mice were free to eat whenever they wanted throughout their waking hours while the others were limited to eating within 9, 12 or 15 hour periods. The study lasted for 38-weeks during which some of the mice in the time-limited eating groups were allowed to eat freely on weekends and eat whenever they chose. Additionally, some of the mice with unrestricted dining times were switched to the limited hours regimen half-way through the study. All mice received the same amount of calories.
The results were clear.
At the end of the study,
mice with unlimited eating hours were obese and metabolically ill while mice that ate within a nine- or 12-hour window remained slim and healthy ... even those who were allowed to eat freely on weekends! Additionally,
mice that were switched out of the unlimited eating hours regimen began to reverse the weight gain during the first half of the study. Mice that consumed regular kibble in fixed nine to twelve-hour time periods also had less body fat than those that ate the same food whenever they chose or within the 15-hour time frame.
We've all heard about the importance of breakfast and many studies warn against. missing breakfast. However, a new study disputes that belief.
It is important to note that this study only considered weight issues not any other health issue! Many studies still warn against missing breakfast. A new study conducted by Tel Aviv University in 2013 found that eating a large breakfast and small dinner
not only promotes weight loss, it reduces risks for diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol more effectively than eating a small breakfast and big dinner.
The upshot? Eat a good breakfast, and stick to a daily schedule to help control your weight and stay healthy!
