By Carrie Swift, MS, RD, BC-ADM, CDE

“Can eating breakfast promote a healthy weight?”

Research suggests people who eat breakfast regularly are leaner than breakfast skippers. In fact, The National Weight Control Registry maintains a list of thousands of people who have lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for a year or longer; 78 percent of them eat breakfast daily.

There is a connection between eating breakfast and maintaining a healthy weight. However, eating breakfast will not directly cause you to lose weight. Instead, it demonstrates that breakfast eaters tend to make healthier choices throughout the day, helping promote weight loss or maintenance. Breakfast skippers tend to eat more “empty-calorie” foods, like high-fat snacks or sweets, later in the day. They may also take in more calories at other meals, overdoing it because they did not eat earlier. Becoming overly hungry tends to make controlling food choices more difficult.

Government data on eating and health habits found regular breakfast eaters were also more likely to exercise. Additionally, women who ate breakfast took in fewer calories throughout the day.

Breakfast is of special importance to people with diabetes. By eating in the morning, you set yourself up to make more healthful choices throughout the day. It is important to find the right balance that works for your blood glucose control.

I suggest including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or non-fat dairy options. If your regular eating routine starts off with a healthy breakfast, you are off to a great start for the day!

Have questions about your diabetes? Email them to us at Editor@EverydayEating.com and we may include them in upcoming issues of the magazine.