This week, the papers have been reporting a new study which shows how eating two bowls of cereal a day (for breakfast and lunch) can lead to weight loss.
I am not disputing the research results, but is this really the best way to lose weight?
The main benefit of this study, as far as I can see, is that it encourages people to eat breakfast. This has been shown to be beneficial to weight loss in many studies, but people still skip breakfast when dieting as they think they are saving calories. However, when you miss breakfast, you tend to eat more over the whole day as your body tries to recoup the lost calories and energy later in the day by making you hungrier.
There are a number of problems, in my view, with eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast and lunch. Firstly, it reduces variety in the diet and the different nutrients that you can get from eating a varied diet. Secondly, processed breakfast cereals can be high in sugar and salt, which are not good for your long term health. Also, this is not a sustainable, long-term way to eat. After a while, surely, it will become boring and repetitive.
So, I’m afraid if you want to lose weight, I believe the best approach is still to eat a low fat, low sugar, healthy diet and maybe reduce your portion size. It works every time!
