New studies suggest that we are more sensitive to spikes in blood sugar from high carbohydrate foods in the morning than we are later in the day. Timing is everything.
Copyright (c) 2008 BrainFit For Life
Do you have a sweet tooth in the morning? Do you crave that bowl of high-sugar cereal or a donut with your coffee? We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and getting something for breakfast is likely better than getting nothing at all. However, a new study from a group in Australia tells us that if you must eat those sweet, high carbohydrate foods, you would do much better putting them off until lunch and grabbing some more protein in the morning.
A g'zillion different studies show us why it is so important to eat a morning meal. Breakfast eaters have an easier time controlling their weight, better energy throughout the day and higher performance on the job or at school. We also know that foods with a lower glycemic index (meaning they are less likely to spike your blood sugar because they have less simple carbohydrates) are better than high glycemic breakfasts for all this stuff.
A new study took this logic a step further and asked what would happen to your blood sugar if you spread out all your carbohydrates evenly throughout the day, or, conversely, loaded most of them up at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Researchers expected that the peak in blood sugar would be highest right after eating the high carbohydrate meal. In a sense, they were right, but with one big surprise.
A high carbohydrate breakfast meal caused a much bigger spike in blood sugar than a similar meal at lunch or dinner. It appears that our bodies can tolerate a dose of carbs much better in the afternoon or the evening, than we can in the morning. This study utilized type II diabetics to provide and exaggerated normal blood-sugar response, but presumably, this applies to everyone.
Why is this important and what does it have to do with the brain? Your body needs to control its blood sugar (glucose) in a tight window in order for all your systems to operate at their best. Importantly, your brain uses glucose exclusively as an energy source, whereas the rest of your body can tap into energy from fats and proteins. So giving your brain a steady supply of glucose is important for optimal brain function.
If you are constantly eating a big chunk of your daily carbs at breakfast (by scarfing down the donuts, pancakes, French toast or high sugar cereals), then you are probably spiking your blood sugar fairly high in the morning on a regular basis.
This has a couple of problems. First, in the short run, spiking your blood sugar causes your body to respond by releasing insulin to crash it back down. This will cause a drop in energy levels during the mid-morning hours, which is a time when many folks need to be on their toes at work, and kids need to be attentive in school. Second, in the long run, constantly spiking your blood sugar can eventually lead to insulin resistance and type II diabetes, which increases your odds for heart disease and cognitive problems as well.
Obviously it's best to get rid of the high sugar foods from your diet completely, but let's be reasonable. Most people, me included, enjoy a fresh-baked cinnamon roll every now and then and we aren't willing to deprive ourselves of all of life's pleasures.
So here's the solution - just don't eat this stuff for breakfast. It's the worst possible time of day for these kinds of foods. Unfortunately, these are the common breakfast foods that we feed our kids on a regular basis and find littering the morning menu of our favorite restaurants.
Still, try to switch to higher protein meals in the morning, like eggs or a quick breakfast shake and you will likely notice an increase in energy throughout the morning and the rest of the day. If you just can't go cold-turkey on the morning office donuts, grab one to stick in your desk and eat it with lunch instead (just keep it to a minimum).
Reference: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2008) 87:638-44
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