Beach Bodies Need Breakfast

Eating breakfast is good for beach bodies

If you’re keen to get in shape for a trip to the sun, meal timing could be as important as the calorie count for you – and for the kids.

The key is to set your body clock – a protein-rich breakfast and a light dinner at least three hours before bed- combined with bright days and dim evenings will boost weight loss overnight – you’ll burn more calories while you sleep!

In this project, The influence of bright and dim light on substrate metabolism, energy expenditure and thermoregulation in insulin-resistant individuals depends on time of day, participants were either kept in bright light (1250 lux) during the day followed by dim evenings (5 lux)- or dim days (10 lux) and bright evenings (1250 lux). Both groups slept in completely dark rooms.  To quote Science Daily’s Optimizing indoor light conditions to mimic the natural light-dark cycle could help mitigate adverse metabolic effects of extended periods of exposure to indoor lighting, spending the day in bright light (08:00-18:00h) had a beneficial effect on energy expenditure by maintaining a high SMR (Sleeping Metabolic Rate)  and increasing the body’s energy use during and after the evening meal. In contrast, the Dim day — Bright evening condition caused a reduction in SMR and energy expenditure in the evening. This late evening light suppressed the release of melatonin too.

The teens in my life often struggle to eat breakfast – not surprising, their body clocks are running around two hours later than yours – you wouldn’t want to tuck into a Full English at crack of dawn either! But they often graze on high-fat high sugar snacks late into the night, which compounds the problem – eating within three hours of bedtime reduces the quality and quantity of sleep in young adults – Does the Proximity of Meals to Bedtime Influence the Sleep of Young Adults? A Cross-Sectional Survey of University Students

Later dinner and breakfast later are linked to weight gain in preschool children too – The roles of sleep and eating patterns in adiposity gain among preschool-aged children

Another study found that the same meal eaten at 8 a.m. instead of 8 p.m. produced greater postprandial epinephrine (increases arousal and alertness, promotes vigilance, enhances formation and retrieval of memory, and focuses attention) and less acylated ghrelin, linked to anxiety too – Feeding Rhythms and the Circadian Regulation of Metabolism

The holidays could be the perfect time to help the young people in your life to get their metabolism on track – and get into better shape yourself too.

Anyone for Bee Larva ice cream?

According to the irrepressible Charles Spence, it’s delicious – slightly nutty and a little floral… besides, he’s sure it’s the future 😉 Charles Spence: the food scientist changing the way we eat
His book Gastrophysics is next on my holiday reading list! Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating