Dietary breakfast

Dietary Breakfast: What Does It Mean?

For dietetic breakfast we mean a breakfast designed and formulated based on the principles of dietreatment; depending on the case, therefore, a dietetic breakfast can be used to treat metabolic pathologies or to reduce any serious overweight (also considered pathological, since it is very often accompanied by various metabolic alterations).

It should also be emphasized that, in the context of fitness, aesthetic culture and well-being in general, the term "dietary breakfast" can acquire a more vague and distorted meaning; in these areas, the term "dietetic" takes on a generic meaning and is often understood to be synonymous with: few calories, digestive ease and usefulness in "finding the line" (in vogue after the holiday periods or before the summer).

We must not then make the mistake of misunderstanding the "diet meal" with a single "diet food" (as explained in the article: "Dietary Snacks"); this clarification is fundamental to emphasize the nutritional importance of breakfast, or the very first energy source of the day. A well structured breakfast is NEVER made up of a single food (dietetic or not) and provides "at least" the choice of 2 or 3 different foods; rather, therefore, it would be more indicated (or even advisable!) that dietetic breakfast consist of various "diet foods" (among which, for example, many products mentioned in the article above).

Now let's see in more detail how to formulate a good diet breakfast.

Against Diseases of Metabolism

This is the case of the dietary breakfast proper, therefore aimed at diet therapy. Generally speaking, pathologies that fall within the well-known Metabolic Syndrome (Dyslipidemia, Type 2 diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, Visceral Accumulation, etc.) require a series of common dietary interventions, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Reduction: of calories, portions, glycemic load, glycemic index, total fat (especially saturated), alcohol and cholesterol. Elimination of added simple sugars and possibly also of added sodium. STOP to junk foods.
2. Increase: of the alimentary water, of the fibers, of the ratio between the good fatty acids (above all omega 3) and the bad ones (saturated and trans), and of other useful molecules like: phytosterols, lecithins, antioxidants etc. FREE ROAD TO RAW FOODS, BUT ALWAYS IN RESPECT OF NUTRITIONAL BALANCE!

Some examples of dietary breakfast against metabolic diseases are: Omega 3 reinforced milk with All Brain, Skimmed Milk Smoothie and fruit (blueberry, apple, kiwi), Porridge d'Avena and wheat bran with few almonds and pine nuts, etc.

Obviously, even this kind of dietary breakfast must take into account the subjective needs. I'm not just talking about "tastes", but also food intolerances. A person who is very intolerant to lactose can benefit from the substitution of traditional milk with that of lactose, while for those mildly sensitive it may be sufficient to resort to traditional yogurt, Greek or kefir. On the other hand, for celiacs the TOTAL exclusion of gluten is a FUNDAMENTAL requirement; in these cases, it is at least essential to discard both wheat and oats, possibly replaceable with: corn, rice, buckwheat, amaranth, etc.

To lose weight

Dietetic breakfast for the "Line"

We now come to the dietary breakfast for weight loss aimed at improving muscle definition and the line in general. Foods may be dietetic, but compared to the previous case, the need for nutritional balance is less urgent.

The dietetic breakfast for the line, intended as a light weight loss and muscle definition for bodybuilders, must meet the following requirements:

1. Bland reduction: of calories, portions, glycemic load, glycemic index, fats (if previously excessive) and added simple sugars (if previously excessive).
2. Increase: food and fiber water.

Some examples of dietary breakfast for the line are: lean thickened yogurt with mixed cereal flakes, orange and grapefruit juice with wholemeal toasted ham, fruit salad and dry biscuits, light milk flakes with wholemeal biscuits, semi-skimmed milk with bitter cocoa and cereals aggregated with dried fruit etc.

Even in this case, wanting to comply with the special needs of the intolerant, it is possible to replace the food containing the prohibited molecule with other products of the same type but perfectly digestible / absorbable.

How much to eat?

The choice of foods and specific portions does not only depend on the type of dietary breakfast (diet therapy or on the line), but also on the subjective energy needs. In general, taking the dietary balance for granted, dietary breakfast should provide about 15% (no more than 18%) of total daily calories, avoiding excess (to the detriment of the other two main meals) but also of deficere (creating a situation of early appetite).

Obviously, this recommendation implies the need to know one's own needs which also include the goal of the diet.

To give a fairly simple example, assuming the need to calculate the energy intake of a dietary breakfast for an obese subject suffering from metabolic syndrome, which consumes about 1800kcal per day, the estimate should be performed as follows:

• Normocaloric diet requirement: 1800kcal

• Objective: Slimming and metabolic nutritional therapy

• Diet calories: 70% of normocalorica = 1260kcal (HYPOCALORIC)

• Calories of dietary breakfast : 15% of the HYPOCALORIC = 189kal

• Foods: 1 Natural Yoghurt Low Fat Yoghurt 150g (81kcal), 2 tablespoons Natural Wheat Bran (33kcal), 1 Apple Granny Smith Apple 200g (76kcal) = TOT 190kcal

NB. In the case of dietary breakfast for the line it is advisable to provide about 90% of the normocaloric requirement and not 70%; the latter is in fact too scarce and, especially for those who practice physical activity, could reduce performance or (in the long term) compromise muscular trophism.