To ensure that we maintain our weight constant, it may seem logical to pay attention to the number of calories ingested on our daily plates.
Bad idea, explains Claire Trommenschlager, dietitian and author of the book
Happy Diet
(1), in an Instagram post from March 8.
To prove it, she compares two types of breakfast and explains that the essential thing in nutrition is not quantity but quality.
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Two meals, two atmospheres
On the left: 5 pancakes, homemade cocoa sauce, blueberries and half a banana, all accompanied by a hot sugar-free drink.
Right: 3 biscuits and a 25 centiliter glass of orange juice.
Here are the two plates compared by the dietitian.
Although the portion on the left is larger than that on the right, these breakfasts both have the equivalent of 380 kilocalories.
The plate full of pancakes is, however, much healthier, with its “nutritional density (amount of vitamins and minerals per calorie)” being higher.
And for good reason, “for the same number of calories, the breakfast on the left provides you with carbohydrates rich in fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals, as well as satiety and energy,” she explains.
Conversely, fruit juice and ultra-processed biscuits are fast sugars, which will cause a peak, then a drop in blood sugar.
During the morning, we risk feeling “cravings” and a “craze”, which will push us towards sweet cravings.
Also read: Is drinking orange juice for breakfast good for your health?
The body is not made to consume rapidly absorbed sugar at breakfast, we already learned in a previous article.
In the morning, “our body ideally needs proteins (eggs, cheese, butter, etc.) because it needs dopamine, the neurotransmitter that “starts” the day, allows concentration and energy, dietitian nutritionist Isabelle Descamps informed us. .
If we consume sugar, it will sit on the dopamine receptors and prevent the molecule from doing its job.
However, there is no need to completely ban fruit juices and biscuits from our diet.
But these pleasure foods must be part of a balanced diet, concludes the dietitian.
(1)
Happy Diet
, by Claire Trommenschlager, Solar editions, 240 pages, €21.90.