Power Up Your Breakfast With These 8 High-Protein Breakfast Ideas
Updated: Jul. 16, 2019
A protein-packed breakfast can satisfy your appetite and help you eat healthier all day long.
Your morning meal may not contain enough protein
According to research published in the International Journal of Obesity, participants who ate a protein-packed breakfast ate 26 per cent fewer calories at lunch than those who ate a meal of the same calories that had less protein. The nutrient helps your gut release peptide YY, a hormone that nudges your brain to realize, “Hey, I’m full.” The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein for women over age 19 is 46 grams; for men, it’s 56 grams. Read on for easy and delicious high-protein breakfast ideas.
Basic breakfast: Bowl of cereal with milk
High-protein breakfast ideas: Some cereals are loaded with protein, and some have very little. Some good options: Kashi GoLean Original, which has 13 grams of protein and 10 grams of constipation-curing fibre per serving; President’s Choice Blue Menu Chocolate Granola Boost with Protein, which has nine grams of protein and five grams of fibre in a two-third-cup serving; and President’s Choice Blue Menu Apple Cinnamon Granola Boost with Fibre, which has five grams of protein and nine grams of fiber per two-third-cup serving. See a list on FitSugar.com of healthy options that contain at least five grams of protein and five grams of fiber per serving. For even more of a boost, sprinkle an ounce of dry-roasted sunflower seeds for five more grams of protein as well as the anti-aging vitamin E.
Basic breakfast: egg and cheese on a roll
High-protein breakfast ideas: Choose a breakfast burrito with beans, or try this easy recipe from our recipe box for 15 grams of protein in your morning meal from the eggs and beans. Or simply fill a corn tortilla with two scrambled eggs, 1/4 cup diced sautéed onions, and 1/4 cup of black beans. Then top with a tablespoon of pico de gallo.
Basic breakfast: butter or jelly on toast
High-protein breakfast ideas: Swap butter for two tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter, which adds about eigh grams of protein to your meal. Since processed nut butters can be sneaky sources of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, look for a super-short ingredient list.
Basic breakfast: yogurt
High-protein breakfast ideas: Trade a six-ounce nonfat yogurt for a Greek yogurt version to get in about six more grams of protein per serving (for a total of 14 grams). Make your breakfast even healthier by adding fibre-rich berries to naturally sweeten your meal, and sprinkle on seeds, nuts, or high-protein, high-fibre cereal to increase the amount of protein even more.
Basic breakfast: oatmeal made with water
High-protein breakfast ideas: Swap water for skim milk (8 grams protein per cup) and sprinkle on some chopped nuts to help you feel full until lunch. Try this apple walnut oatmeal from USNews.com: Cook 3/4 cups of dry oatmeal with 1 1/4 cup of skim milk. Add 1 chopped apple and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with honey. Total: 24 grams of protein.
Basic breakfast: smoothie with milk or yogurt
High-protein breakfast ideas: Swap the milk and yogurt in your smoothie for kefir, a probiotic beverage (like drinkable yogurt). One cup of plain nonfat kefir contains 11 grams of protein, more than the nine grams in one cup of nonfat plain yogurt and the 8 grams in one cup of nonfat milk.
Basic breakfast: homemade muffin
High-protein breakfast ideas: Try baking these High-Protein Banana Oat Muffins from MensFitness.com, which contain eight grams of protein per muffin. (Did we mention they are also less than 100 calories and have only one gram of fat?) It’s a much healthier alternative to bakery muffins, which can have anywhere from 300 to 500 calories per serving and are usually high in fat, sugar, and sodium. To amp up the protein of your homemade goods, spread a split muffin with a tablespoon of peanut butter (for four more grams of protein) and enjoy it with a cup of fat-free milk (for eight additional grams).
Basic breakfast: banana on the run
High-protein breakfast ideas: Nothing beats a banana for grab-and-go portability, but add a protein-rich dairy source, like a single-serving cup of cottage cheese, and you’ll add a whopping 28 grams of protein to your morning meal. Cottage cheese is also a good way to sneak in some calcium and vitamin A.
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