A Nutritionist has advised against skipping breakfast as part of a weight-loss strategy.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, August 13, 2021, Nutritionist, Regulatory, and Scientific Affairs Manager at Nestlé Ghana Limited, Dr Margaret Mary Tohouenou, said often, obese persons intentionally skip breakfast as part of their weight loss regime, but that is not the best remedy for obesity.
“If you want to lose weight, if you want to maintain weight, don’t skip breakfast and the amount of food consumed during breakfast should not be more than that consumed during lunch. Depending on what you want to do, you need to see a dietician,” she added.
She explained that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it breaks your fast. It is also very important because you need the energy and the nutrients in the food you eat to kick start your day.
“If you skip breakfast the probability that you’ll snack on unhealthy food is very high and this is not very healthy,” she added.”
She further cautioned against taking breakfast at late hours in the morning since such a practice is not healthy. She said a breakfast meal should be taken between the hours of 6am to 10am. Then, four to five hours later, one can proceed to take lunch.
In addition, she advised against consuming lunch meals in large quantities. She highlighted the importance of breakfast, stating that breakfast is the only meal that should be consumed in large quantities.
“Breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day. Lunch should be a little smaller than the quantity you consumed for breakfast,” she said.
On what to eat for breakfast, Dr Tohouenou emphasised that breakfast meals should be a balanced diet consisting of a variety of foods containing all the nutrients.
“There is a saying that when you eat breakfast, eat like a king: you eat a variety of things. So you take a little of bread, one egg, add some vegetables. You add some fruits and water to make the breakfast complete,” she said.
