Though most people get enough protein over the course of the day, their protein-rich foods are generally weighted towards the lunch and dinner meals. Unfortunately, this isn’t always optimal for the body. Check out these 3 reasons why protein intake at breakfast is important:
1) Protein helps people feel full and satiated, and incorporating protein in your breakfast may help you feel more full throughout the first half of your day. For those concerned about weight maintenance or weight loss, this can be very important.
2) A breakfast with carbohydrate and protein creates a better blood sugar response compared to those breakfasts with just carbohydrate alone. This means a breakfast with protein will help create a more gradual rise in blood sugar, compared to a rapid spike and fall. This may be particularly helpful for those with conditions like diabetes or pre-diabetes.
3) For the athletes reading: Your body is likely only able to utilize a certain amount of protein at any one point for muscle healing, recovery, and building. Preliminary research indicates that this is somewhere in the range of 20-30 grams at a time for most people. This means – especially for athletes – that spacing out your intake over the whole day is much better for your muscles than having one monstrous piece of grilled chicken at night.
OK, I think I’ve made my point! 🙂 To help you, I’ve created this list to point out some easy ways to add protein to your breakfast options….
19 easy ways to add protein to breakfast
- Make oatmeal made with milk rather than water.
- Consider adding almond butter or peanut butter to your oatmeal or smoothie.
- Make a vegetable omelet with eggs or egg whites.
- If you’re on the run, grab 1 or 2 hardboiled eggs for a quick protein option. Combine it with a piece of fruit that provides healthy carbohydrates, and you’ve got a balanced grab-and-go option.
- Mix cottage cheese with fruit for a mix of healthy carbohydrates and protein.
- Include yogurt at breakfast. Greek yogurt has more protein and less sugar compared to regular yogurt, but either can be a good choice. To cut back on added sugar in flavored varieties, choose plain versions and add your own fruit to sweeten it up.
- Add silken tofu to your smoothies.
- Make a breakfast burrito: scramble eggs, top with salsa, and place in a small whole wheat tortilla.
- Spread part skim ricotta cheese on whole wheat raisin toast, and top with sliced strawberries and nuts.
- Try whole wheat pancake recipes that include either greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or part skim ricotta in their ingredients.
- Add a glass of milk to your breakfast. Keep in mind that some of the milk alternatives do not contain the same amount of protein as regular milk. Almond milk, for example, typically contains 1 gram of protein per cup compared to the 8 grams per cup in regular milk. However, there are protein-fortified versions of almond milk.
- Add yogurt, milk, or protein powder to your favorite smoothie recipe.
- Sprinkle pumpkin seeds or nuts on your yogurt parfait or over hot cereal.
- Add a piece of part skim mozzarella string cheese to the side of your morning meal.
- Make egg muffins! I’ll get a recipe post up on these soon, but basically – just whisk together some previously sautéed vegetables, eggs, and cheese. Bake in a muffin tin in the oven until firm. You can store these in the fridge and pop a few in the microwave for breakfast in the morning.
- Use warm cooked quinoa as a breakfast option for a grain that packs more protein than traditional cereals. Combine it with a little milk, applesauce, cinnamon, and a sliced apple for a delicious breakfast.
- Make overnight oats using greek yogurt or milk.
- Chop up some ham to add to your morning omelet.
- Consider a less traditional breakfast item, like a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread.
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Thank you for sharing! These are great go-to examples, and all delicious!
Thanks for reading Jaclyn! And great meeting you this weekend at the DBC Comm Camp 🙂
Hi there, great article! One correction; however… Quinoa I’d a Seed, not a Grain. Very different. Just learned that myself!
Yes, great catch! You are correct! 🙂 Technically, quinoa is a seed. It’s nutritional profile is similar to other grains, though, so we tend to categorize it (for food group purposes) as a grain.
I have recently suffered my second heart attack in 1 year. I am new to searching and eating in this manner. I need help with recipes for a week worth of breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks. I am allergic to nuts! Can you help?
Hi there! I personally am only taking clients for sports nutrition coaching, but I’m sure you can find another dietitian if you are looking for personalized help. If you are just looking for recipe ideas, feel free to browse the food section of my blog. If you are looking for meal plan ideas, Clean Eating Magazine online has some great seasonal options that also include recipes and shopping lists.
New to this, what are overnight oats? Would that be a recipe for crock pot oatmeal?
Overnight oats are typically just oats, milk, sometimes yogurt, and then different add-ins (like fruit or nuts) that are left in a jar in the fridge overnight. They are eaten cold or can be warmed up. Here’s a recipe on our site for cranberry coconut overnight oats! –> https://www.snackinginsneakers.com/cranberry-coconut-overnight-oats/
But crockpot oatmeal would definitely be another healthy option!
crockpot oatmeal – overnight- sounds like a lot of fuss to me.
people are doing grab and eat. little time. good old 3 minute oatmeal made with skim milk and fruit works fine
Glad to hear that works for you in the morning! 🙂 I like to try to give people a variety of options, but am all about whatever works best for that person.
Love all the suggestions. I usually have oatmeal, banana and peanut butter. I will try other choices.
Awesome – hope you enjoy some of the other suggestions!
I like is very good
So glad to see you included ricotta cheese. I love it…the slight sweetness and the texture make it great with fruit. I mixed it with Alpen dark chocolate muesli this morning! Not just for ravioli, lasagna and calzones!
Yes, totally! Ricotta is often overlooked but can be used in so many creative ways. {Like cannolis….I wish they were a healthy breakfast option…but I digress 😉 }
Try to stick to healthy protein sources in the morning! Egg white scrambles with veggies, cottage cheese, a whey protein powder shake made with water are all great options. Steer clear of processed “lunch meat” and heavy carbs in the morning-carbs and sugar tend to give people brain fog that takes hours to clear! I find that when I stick to protein alone (no carbs or sugar) at breakfast, I have more energy all day! Also, aim for 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. Ever since I started hitting 135 grams each day, my abs and muscles became more defined, my sugar cravings diminished, and my whole body looks tighter and less bloated!
Thanks for your comments Danielle! There are different approaches that work for different people. Research shows that low glycemic carbohydrates actually may help with cognitive function and reaction time in the morning – combining these with a source of protein may be a great option for people. 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is quite a bit higher than I would recommend for the majority of people – but to each their own. If it works for you, keep with it!
Since I’ve never enjoyed a bowl of oatmeal, can you tell me if eating 2 oatmeal cookies with a glass of milk, will be equivalent to the consumption of oatmeal anyway?
How do you figure what equivalent form of oatmeal would equal a bowl of oatmeal? Thanks.
Unfortunately I don’t think the amount of oatmeal in 2 cookies would be close to that of a bowl of oatmeal. 🙂 generally a full batch of cookies would probably contain only a half to a full cup of oats, and divided across a bunch of cookies that’s not much in each one.
If you’re not a fan of oatmeal in a bowl, you could also consider adding a quarter cup of oats to a smoothie. Or try any other healthy breakfast recipe – no reason to eat something if you don’t like it!
I hated oatmeal for years, but was delighted to discover cooked oat bran as a less goopey Orion. Oat bran is a bit drier, and has a sweeter, nuttier taste. Especially nice with fresh wheat germ, purchased refrigerated in a sealed package, flushed with nitrogen to avoid going rancid from exposure to oxygen.
Oatmeal has twice the heart-healthy fibers per cup as oatmeal does. Two studies have found it more effective at reducing heart disease than oatmeal. Only one study has found oatbran and oatmeal to be equally beneficial.
If you can find the nitrogen-flushed wheat germ, combine 7 parts oat bran with 1 part wheat germ in a quart jar. Shake to combine.
Recipe for 1:
1/2 c oatbran (with or without wheat germ)
1 c water
Optional add-ins:
raisins
nuts
diced apple
Optional toppings:
Unsweetened yogurt
Sliced banana
In small sauce pan, combine oatbran, water, and optional add-ins. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat to simmer. Continue stirring 2-3 minutes, total.
Serve with a generous amount of yogurt and banana on top.
Delish!
For easy clean-up, fill pan with water, 2 minutes. Oatbran slides right out.
This is a quick and easy breakfast, especially if you keep nuts and raisins in jars within easy reach, to toss in by the handfuls.
*Oops, I meant “option”, not “Orion”!
Interesting! I’ll have to try out oat bran. I’ve only really used that for muffins but this sounds super tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipe! 🙂
Love sardines on toast
Dear Miss Carroll:
I think mackerel mixed with barley, beans and stewed tomatoes is delicious.
I add Tabasco sauce.
I also recommend halibut poached and served with tomato purée and nuts.
Some LaBrea Bakery jalapeño cheese bread toasted very, very crispy and hard is also delicious when served with these fish recipes.
Sardines in hot sauce with a bowl of Uncle Sam Cereal, a diced pear, almonds, walnuts, nutmeg, cinnamon and skim milk is an outstanding meal. You could serve pure wild rice with the sardines.
Of course, fresh southwest Oregon coast oysters have high protein and are perfect with hard toast and mustard at breakfast.
Have a Dovely.
Sincerely yours,
Caleb Boone.
I’m a huge oatmeal fan, but I find it hard to locate it with <20g carbs per serving (even so called "weight control" items. I'm in process of my Doctor approved low carb, low fat and high protein plan. Also burned out on eggs, lol. Any suggestions?
Oatmeal is a complex carb, so most varieties are going to have 20 grams or more per serving. If you’re trying to reduce the carbohydrates at breakfast and increase the protein – and are burnt out on eggs!- what about some of the other sources of protein mentioned? Dairy products like cottage cheese, part skim ricotta, greek yogurt or skim milk might work well – or meats like ham or turkey!
There are many types of oatmeal that you can buy don’t come with added sugar in individual packets. http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/types-of-oats
The most common types of oatmeal that I like for making a bowl of hot cereal in the morning are:
1. Rolled Oats, quick or instant
2. Rolled Oats, regular or old fashioned
3. Steel Cut, quick cooking
4. Steel Cut
I think that the long cooking steel cut (#4) have the best nutty flavor, but those take 45 minutes to cook. I save that for the weekend. The Quick cooking steel cut are my second favorite; they take about 5 minutes to cook. I make a batch that makes four servings. I eat one serving the day I make it, and portion out the rest into individual containers. The next day, I one of those individual containers and put the oatmeal in a bowl, and add some milk. I microwave it for a couple of minutes, and give it a good stir. Then I start adding stuff! I add these things: a teaspoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of ground flax, a couple shakes of cinnamon, and some nuts. Peanuts, walnuts, mixed nuts, whatever. Nuts contain alot of calories, so be mindful of how many you add. You can also pitch in some dried cherries, cranberries or blueberries to add some sweetness. I don’t add any sugar.
I buy the oatmeal at my reguarl grocery store or at Costco. McCann’s is my favorite brand of steel cut oatmeal.
Have a tasty breakfast!
These recipes look tasty. I haven’t tried them yet, but I might! 🙂
http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/crocl-pot-steel-cut-oatmeal-with-apples-and-brown-sugar/
http://www.tasteslovely.com/cinnamon-apple-steel-cut-oatmeal/
Of course Barbara! There are a ton of varieties of oatmeal without added sugar. Sometimes it’s hard to find the small individual size packets though without it – but much easier with the larger canisters 🙂
I also love the long-cooking steel cut oats, a high-fiber complex carb. They are simply the best cereal product you can eat when you want to lose weight or keep it off. Notably, they contain a type of soluble fiber known as beta-glucan clinically proven to reduce cholesterol as well as to help prevent cardiovascular disease. They have an array of vitamins and minerals including zinc, selenium, iron and vitamin E. They are very low-glycemic as well, since they are the unprocessed, uncooked grain, simply sliced thinly and not heated.
I usually cook enough on the weekend to get three or four breakfasts from the dish. I also add one or two tbs of flax seeds to the cooking oatmeal. I divide the cooked oatmeal into small glass sealable bowls, and keep them in the refrigerator. That way, I can just microwave the bowlful each morning, before topping with fruit and milk.
You can also add some fruit-only preserves to the warm oatmeal if you prefer your breakfast to have some sweetness. Fruit-only preserves are also delicious in greek yogurt and cottage cheese.
Thanks for sharing this info Louise! Love the idea of adding some fruit-only preserves.
I’m surprised that nuts were not mentioned. Adding walnuts to yogurt is a way to add protein as well as healthy fats, like Omega 3.
Otherwise great suggestions.
Great suggestion James! I did include nuts and seeds in #13 – but you are right that I could have added more varieties. Walnuts are fabulous – I’m also a fan of almonds and pistachios.
I add chia seeds to my morning cereal. They are full of protein. You can also add them to anything else you have for breakfast, smoothies, eggs, oatmeal, etc.
Just discovered your website on Slate.com, Chrissy, and I love it! You are spot on about needing to make breakfast high in protein because of all the benefits that come with it. I frequently add ricotta to pancakes, for instance. It makes them soooo fluffy and moist and delicious, and I love giving my girls the extra protein boost. Oh…and until you get your own undoubtedly delicious egg muffin recipe posted, here’s one you may enjoy. It’s wrapped in bacon, and we all know bacon makes EVERYTHING better! People can even use turkey bacon if they are so inclined.
Have a great day! 🙂
Serena
Thanks so much for the kind comments Serena!! Those ricotta pancakes sound so delicious. 🙂
your breakfast tips are awesome for me, as I have recently beenput on diasyliss. Would you have any more tips that would help me in getting more protien in my diet as I have to double up on protien intake.
thank you Fran
Hi Fran – Glad to hear you found these tips helpful! I’d highly recommend seeing a dietitian to help with your question, as patients on dialysis typically have other dietary recommendations too (for example, some patients have to limit potassium and phosphorus). I don’t specialize in dialysis nutrition but an RD that does will be able to give you protein suggestions that fit all your dietary restrictions/needs!
Thank you for the breakfast protein ideas. I’ve been creating a rotation menu and am trying to find more protein options at breakfast, especially vegan choices. I love dairy, meat, and eggs, but must limit them.
Thanks for your ideas.
One new idea I’lll be trying this weekend:
Sliced veggie links browned in olive oil in a covered casserole in the microwave, then adding a generous amount of frozen corn, with a few frozen peas and diced green onion for color, and heating a few minutes more. To divide into several containers for multiple breakfasts, to tip each onto a plate, and reheat for quick breakfasts during the week.
This sounds awesome Alice! I will definitely be giving it a try soon. I like having variety in our breakfasts too, especially with a two year old in the house 🙂
Thanks for every other informative web site. Whhere else may just I am getting that kind of information written in suc a perfect manner?
I have a challenge that I am just now running on, and
I’ve been at the look out for such information.