- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, Katherine is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition education related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
Weight-loss basics (8)
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- Breakfast: How does it help weight control?
- Fast weight loss: What's wrong with it?
- see all in Weight-loss basics
Diet plans (8)
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- Coffee calories: Sabotaging your weight-loss goal?
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Mayo Clinic diet (1)
- Weight loss: Better to cut calories or exercise more?
Diet and exercise (4)
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- Negative-calorie foods: Diet gimmick or weight-loss aid?
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Diet pills, supplements and surgery (14)
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Question
Breakfast: How does it help weight control?
Why does eating a healthy breakfast help control weight?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Here are some of the ways that regularly eating a healthy breakfast may help you lose excess weight and maintain your weight loss:
- Reduced hunger. Eating breakfast may reduce your hunger later in the day, which may make it easier to avoid overeating. When you skip breakfast, you may feel ravenous later and be tempted to reach for a quick fix — such as vending machine candy or doughnuts at the office. In addition, the prolonged fasting that occurs when you skip breakfast can increase your body's insulin response, which in turn increases fat storage and weight gain. In fact, skipping breakfast actually increases your risk of obesity.
- Healthy choices. Eating breakfast may get you on track to make healthy choices all day. When you eat breakfast, you tend to eat a healthier overall diet, one that is more nutritious and lower in fat. When you skip breakfast, you're more likely to skip fruits and vegetables the rest of the day, too.
- More energy. Eating breakfast may give you energy, increasing your physical activity during the day. A healthy breakfast refuels your body and replenishes the glycogen stores that supply your muscles with immediate energy. Skipping breakfast is associated with decreased physical activity.
So, if you skip breakfast — whether you're trying to save time or cut calories — you may want to reconsider, especially if you're trying to control your weight.
Next questionFast weight loss: What's wrong with it?
- Wyatt HR, et al. Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry. Obesity Research. 2002;10:78.
- Purslow LR, et al. Energy intake at breakfast and weight change: Prospective study of 6,764 middle-aged men and women. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2008;167:188.
- Greenwood JL, et al. Preventing or improving obesity by addressing specific eating patterns. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2008;21:135.
- Kant AK, et al. Association of breakfast energy density with diet quality and body mass index in American adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1999-2004. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;88:1396.
- Gibson SA, et al. What's for breakfast? Nutritional implications of breakfast habits: Insights from the NDNS dietary records. Nutrition Bulletin. 2011;36:78.
- Ashwell M. An examination of the relationship between breakfast, weight and shape. British Journal of Nursing. 2010;19:1155.
- Zeratsky KA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 28, 2011.
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