What ought to be the most important meal of the day is often the most neglected. But many of the reasons why this is so have little to do with food. In the U.S. alone, about 31 million people skip breakfast each day, with many saying that they didn’t have enough time or were too busy to eat a proper meal. If you’ve ever woken up late for work or an errand, then you probably understand these sentiments.

However, experts warn against skipping breakfast. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology revealed that skipping breakfast was closely associated with atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. Skipping breakfast has also been associated with an increased risk of heart attack and coronary heart disease.

Moreover, skipping breakfast can make you hungrier later in the day, which can lead to overeating. If this develops into a trend, the individual becomes at risk of obesity and the complications that come with it. For instance, overweight individuals are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and high blood pressure. In severe cases, obesity can lead to Type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, many people struggling with obesity find it difficult to curb overeating or binge-eating habits for a host of genetic and non-genetic reasons. Experts recommend eating a heavy breakfast to curb hunger later in the day, but this is often easier said than done.

Still, if you struggle to whip up a complete meal in the morning, you can try eating oatmeal for breakfast, according to a recent study published in Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism. In this study, researchers from the New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center examined how different types of breakfast foods affected an individual’s appetite for the rest of the day. Participants who ate oatmeal reported feeling full longer than the participants who ate corn flakes.

The key to appetite control

The researchers observed 36 participants who were divided into two groups according to weight. Over the course of seven days, the participants were given either oatmeal or corn flakes for breakfast. Both foods contained the same amount of calories at about 351 per serving. After three hours, each participant had to consume a liquid lunch meal so that the researchers could gauge their appetite. Most of the participants consumed at least 10 ounces of the liquid meal before reporting feeling full.

At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that all of the participants ate only a little of the liquid lunch meal after consuming oatmeal. Surprisingly, they also discovered that the overweight participants ate significantly less of the lunch meal after consuming oatmeal than the normal-weight participants, leading them to conclude that oatmeal induced fullness more than corn flakes. But just how exactly? The researchers suggest that fiber may have something to do with it, and for good reason.

Dietary fibers are the parts of plant foods that your body simply can’t digest. Instead, these fibers pass through your digestive system intact before being expelled by the body. In particular, the fiber found in oatmeal is soluble fiber, or fiber that dissolves in water. When this happens, it can create a bulky, gel-like material that may sit in the stomach for a while, thereby inducing the sensation of fullness. When consumed in adequate amounts, fiber isn’t necessarily bad for your body. For instance, soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Additionally, fiber helps maintain healthy bowel movement, which can aid weight loss attempts.

So if you want to curb a voracious appetite, try to add more fiber to your diet by eating avocados, bananas, broccoli, apples, carrots and lentils. Additionally, if you wish to exercise more control over your portions, stick to foods rich in fiber for breakfast, like oatmeal, quinoa and whole grain cereals.

Sources:

MarketWatch.com

ACC.org

HSPH.Harvard.edu

ResearchGate.net

MayoClinic.org