On Instagram, nutritionist Claire Trommenschlager compares two breakfast plates that have the same calorie count…but completely different nutritional intake.
To ensure that we keep our weight stable, it may seem logical to pay attention to the number of calories we eat on our daily plates. Bad idea, explains Claire Trommenschlager, nutritionist and author of the book Happy dieting! (1), in an Instagram post from March 8. To prove it, he compares two types of breakfast and explains that what matters in food is not quantity, but quality.
Two foods, two atmospheres
On the left: 5 pancakes, homemade cocoa sauce, blueberries and half a banana, all accompanied by a sugar-free hot drink. Right: 3 cookies and a 25-centiliter glass of orange juice. Here is the dietitian comparing the two plates. Although the portion on the left is larger than the one on the right, these breakfasts both have the equivalent of 380 calories. A plate full of pancakes, however, is much healthier because its “nutrition density (the amount of vitamins and minerals per calorie)” is higher.
” data-script=”https://static.lefigaro.fr/widget-video/short-ttl/video/index.js” >
And for good reason, “for the same number of calories, a breakfast on the left gives you carbohydrates that are rich in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as satiety and energy,” she explains. Conversely, fruit juice and ultra-processed cookies are fast sugars that will cause a spike and then a crash in blood sugar. In the morning, we risk “sweet” and “craziness” that will push us to sweet cravings.
The body is not designed to use fast-absorbing sugar for breakfast, as we have already learned in the previous article. In the morning, “our body ideally needs protein (eggs, cheese, butter, etc.) because it needs dopamine, the neurotransmitter that ‘starts’ the day, allows for focus and energy,” nutritionist Isabelle Descamps told 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 cookies from our diet. But these pleasure foods should be part of a balanced diet, the nutritionist concludes.
(1) Happy dieting!By Claire Trommenschlager, Solar editions, 240 pages, €21.90.
Source: Le Figaro
