Did you know that your breakfast of toast and jam could be causing you to feel crummy throughout the day or stopping you from reaching your nutrition goals?
One of the most common mistakes I see people making is not eating enough protein at breakfast. In fact, most people don't even know why this is so important. Not eating enough protein can cause over eating, energy crashes, constantly feeling hungry or tired, and increased cravings. Does this sound like you?
If you answered yes, let's first figure out why you may be on protein at breakfast. In my work, I most often see this happen for the following reasons:
- Eating protein at breakfast is not as easy to get as it is at other meals
- Many people don't know why it's important to start your day with protein, so they don't make it a priority
I am here to help you with both of those issues!
Why is protein important at breakfast?
First lets start with the why. Protein is the most satiating nutrient, meaning that out of all of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats), protein makes you feel the most full and satisfied. Protein at breakfast also helps to keep your blood sugar steady throughout the day. In other words, this means you will have less of those mid morning or mid afternoon "crashes" where you end up reaching for a sweet coffee drink or grabbing a piece of candy.
Benefits of eating protein at breakfast:
- increased feeling of fullness (1,3)
- reduced cravings (1)
- healthy weight (1,2)
- lowered risk of several chronic diseases (1)
- type 2 diabetes (1)
- high blood pressure (1)
- high cholesterol (1)
For more of my thoughts on eating breakfast, click here.
How much protein should you eat at breakfast?
The amount of protein you should eat at breakfast will vary from person to person. However, studies have shown that a protein intake of 20g to 30g at breakfast can increase your feeling of fullness throughout the day and result in less overall calories consumed (1,4). For those of you trying to lose weight, there are studies showing that eating a high protein breakfast can result in 65% more weight loss than a low protein breakfast (1).
In conclusion, whether you are trying to manage your weight, reduce your risk of chronic disease, reduce your cravings, or have more sustained energy throughout the day, eating a protein rich breakfast can likely be beneficial.
10 high protein breakfast ideas
- Egg Salad
- 1 serving egg salad
- 1-2 pieces of whole grain bread (I recommend the 21 grain bread by Dave's Killer Bread)
- ½ avocado
- Loaded Oatmeal
- ½ cup oatmeal
- ½ cup berries
- ½ cup oatmeal
- 2 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- Peachy Yogurt Bowl
- 6oz Greek yogurt
- 1 peach
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cashew butter
- ¼th cup raspberry almond granola
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1 cup milk of choice (for a higher protein plant based milk, try Ripple milk)
- 1 handful spinach
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 scoop collagen
- 1-2 Medjool dates
- For 20 other healthy smoothie recipes, check out my smoothie e-book
- Breakfast Tacos
- Whole grain tortillas
- 2 eggs sautéed with veggies (bell pepper, onions, mushroom, spinach, etc.) and ¼th cup black beans (drained & rinsed)
- ½ avocado
- Salsa
- Click here for full my recipe for breakfast tacos
- Chicken Sausage Scramble
- 1-2 eggs scrambled with veggies of choice and 1 piece of apple chicken sausage
- 1 piece of whole grain bread (I recommend the 21 grain bread by Dave's Killer Bread)
- ½ avocado
- Cottage Cheese
- 5oz cottage cheese (I like Good Culture cottage cheese)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ avocado, diced
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Whole grain crackers to eat with
- Breakfast Salad
- 2 fried eggs
- 1-2 cups mixed greens
- ½ avocado
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- Lemon & olive oil for salad dressing
- Avocado Toast with Lox
- 1-2 pieces of whole grain bread (I recommend the 21 grain bread by Dave's Killer Bread)
- ½ avocado
- Smoked salmon
- Almond Butter Paleo Waffles
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