Building a better breakfast to manage weight

Breakfast alone may not be the solution to reducing obesity among American consumers, but some reformulation of morning selections could prove beneficial in the battle against the bulge according to the latest issue of Food Technology.

Published monthly by the Institute of Food Technologists, this issue’s cover story reviews recent food science, nutrition and metabolic research and translates it into food and ingredient combinations that could possibly lead to a reduction in consumers’ caloric intake and calorie absorption while meeting their needs to feel full after eating.

“Managing satiety holds promise as a means to control obesity,” says Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D., an IFT expert in functional foods and sensory evaluation, and co-author of the cover story.

“Expanding food volume with ingredients that contain no calories—such as air or water—offers a means to limit energy intake.”

“Some breakfast cereals could be processed for greater expansion and lower density. Bakery products could increase in size without increasing their energy value.” However, “processing effects on digestibility should be evaluated before adopting such an approach,” she says.

“Sensory quality of satiating foods requires careful balancing: Not high enough and consumers will not use the product; too good and they may be tempted to eat larger portions than desirable.”

Building a better breakfast promoting healthy weight among consumers requires an understanding of proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, food volume, and more. As food companies improve their understanding of these and other effects on people’s satiety the promise of controlling obesity may result, according to the article.

Published monthly by IFT, Food Technology provides news and analysis of the development, use, quality, safety, and regulation of food sources, products, and processes. The latest issue is accessible online at http://www.ift.org/foodtechnology.

Founded in 1939, and with world headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, USA, the Institute of Food Technologists is a not-for-profit international scientific society with 22,000 members working in food science, technology and related professions in academia, government and industry. As the society for food science and technology, IFT brings sound science to the public discussion of food issues. For more, see http://www.ift.org.