I, like most people, love chocolate and ESPECIALLY chocolate cake. In fact, every year, mi abuelita bakes me the most chocolate-y cake she can make for my birthday. Usually the next morning, I can't help but eat a bite (or 10!) for breakfast, even though I have to listen to the reprimands of my mother while doing so. Well, guess what? A recent study from Tel Aviv University shows that eating small piece of chocolate cake as part of your breakfast can actually help you lose weight. See, told you so, Ma!
The study, originally published in the journal Steroids, found that dieters who included a minidessert item (like cake, chocolate, or a cookie) with the rest of a balanced breakfast will not only shed more pounds, but also keep it off longer than traditional diets.
When scientists followed two groups of low-carb dieters for 32 weeks, they found that while both lost an average of 33 pounds in the first 16 week period, the cake-eaters lost an additional 15 pounds each in the second 16-week period. Comparatively, the traditional dieters actually regained 22 pounds per person.
This all probably sounds too good to be true, but here's why it actually makes sense: cutting out sweets entirely, like many low-carb dieters normally do, fuels a psychological addiction to those foods. You deprive yourself of the sugary snacks you crave and in turn, increase your desire to eat them. And we all know where that leads –a late-night ice cream binge. So instead, researchers found that indulging in a small sweet snack at the beginning of the day, when metabolism is highest, will help dieters feel satisfied even when the rest of their diet is based on low-calories plans.
My obvious reaction to this information is…yay! Finally, good news from the dieting world! I now have an official reason not to feel so bad about eating Nutella with my banana and toast in the morning while all the other train riders around me munch on grapefruits. Thank you, science.
Will you be including a small dessert as part of your breakfast now that researchers say it's OK?
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