Study backs carb-packed ‘big breakfast’ diet

 Plan wards off cravings, results in long-term weight loss, small study finds

Getty Images stock Women who ate a big breakfast reported feeling less hungry, especially before lunch, and having fewer cravings for carbs than women on the low-carb diet.  View related photos

 

To lose weight and keep it off, eat a big breakfast packed with carbohydrates and protein, then follow a low-carb, low-calorie diet the rest of the day, a small study suggests.

The "big breakfast" diet works, researchers say, because it controls appetite and satisfies cravings for sweets and starches. It's also healthier than popular low-carb diets because it allows people to eat more fiber- and vitamin-rich fruit, according to Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, of the Hospital de Clinicas in Caracas, Venezuela.

She told the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco that she's successfully used this diet in her patients for more than 15 years.More