January Wellness Wednesday: 25 Grams of Protein at Breakfast
- January 4, 2017
- Last Updated: May 9, 2020
- 36 Comments
- Nutrition
Hi friends!
I’ve decided I’m going to be doing monthly challenges here on the first Wednesday of each month, starting with today’s topic: including more protein at breakfast! I was going to wait until Friday, but Wellness Wednesday just has a better ring to it.
Per readers’ recommendations, I’ve decided to start with suggestions for getting 25 grams of protein at breakfast. Adding more protein in at breakfast is something I work with many clients on.
It has its challenges, as some clients are vegan, some are dairy-free, etc. If you have such specific needs and are interested in more ideas, please contact me. I’d be happy to work with you!
The reason we focus on protein at breakfast is because we want to start our day with a strong tone. Protein is an essential part of the satiety equation. It’s actually an ironic macronutrient because in general, Americans have no shortage of protein in their diets.
The typical diet is about 15-30% protein. But the truth of the matter is, many individuals, especially women, aren’t getting ample protein. We are on the other side of the equation.
Many people also save all of their protein for dinner, or a large meal. This is included in my sports nutrition myths.
Each meal should include some sort of protein and it’s a creative equation to figure out how to fit it in. So here are four of my favorite breakfast options with about 25 grams of protein.
If you try these consistently, I’ll sure your blood sugar and cravings will stay more stable throughout the day.
Option 1: Oatmeal with Nuts/Seeds
- 1/2 cup oatmeal – 5 grams
- 1/2 cup 2% milk – 4 grams
- 1 tbsp chia seeds – 3 grams
- 1.5 tbsp peanut/almond butter – 6 grams
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds – 7 grams
- 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, cocoa nibs – negligent protein in fruit, but great for micronutrients!
total: 25 grams
You could also cook an egg into your oatmeal or top with yogurt!
Option 2: Egg Breakfast Sandwich
- 2 eggs – 12 grams
- 2 pieces whole grain toast – 5-6 grams
- (you could also go for a whole grain english muffin or whole wheat wrap. Remember, whole grains have protein!)
- 1 slice cheese – 6-8 grams
- 1 cup spinach – 1-2 grams
total: 24-27 grams
Option 3: Yogurt Bowl
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt (or cottage cheese) – 23 grams (can be up to 30 with cottage cheese!)
- 3/4 cup blueberries – negligent
- 1/2 banana – negligent
- 1 tbsp peanut butter – 4 grams (or 1 oz nuts/seeds, or all of the above!)
total: 27+ grams
Option 4: Protein Smoothie
- 1 scoop protein powder: 20-25 grams, depending on brand
- 1 cup dairy milk – 8 grams (or non dairy milk, 0 grams)
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, banana, spinach – negligent
- 1 tbsp chia seeds – 3 grams
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds – 3 grams
Load it up with any toppings!
total: 30+ grams
There you have it. It’s actually quite easy to get to 25 grams, it just takes a little bit of prep. Also, I can’t stress enough how always having chia/hemp/pumpkin seeds on hand is important!
Let me know if you have any future topics you’d like me to focus on for Wellness Wednesday! If you’re looking for some dinner recipes with 25+ grams of protein, may I suggest ground turkey burgers with sweet potato, turmeric zucchini salmon burgers or add some beans/grains to this lemon tahini lentil dip!
Do you tend to eat a smaller breakfast and snack until lunch, or a larger breakfast? I eat a large breakfast and always need a snack before lunch!
Favorite meal of the day? Mine has always been breakfast! Sure way to get me out of bed.
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Sarah Schlichter is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition. She specializes in sports nutrition and intuitive eating, and recipe development. She also co-hosts the podcast, Nail Your Nutrition.
36 Comments
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I’ve found if I use a sprouted grain bread 1 slice has 6 grams! So 2 slices gets you to 12 grams. Aldi makes a great one.
I can’t start the day without protein at breakfast! When people ask for nutrition advice, the most common thing I recommend is to get more protein in at the start of the day after they tell me what they’re eating.
I can’t either. I know if I don’t get enough protein because I’m hungry pretty soon after!
any ideas for someone that can’t eat eggs or yogurt?
Hi Vanessa! You could do a breakfast burrito with beans and quinoa or a quinoa breakfast bowl with nuts/seeds/nut butter. I would also recommend adding protein powder or even making a smoothie.
I honestly didn’t even know that adding 1 tbsp of chia and 1 tbsp of hemp would be adding 6g protein, that is awesome!! Thanks for the tips 🙂
All your dishes look so good, Sarah, I want to eat them all just due to the pictures! They don’t quite look like that when I stir something up….
These are all awesome ideas, Sarah! That bowl of oatmeal loaded with toppings looks absolutely DELISH.
Great ideas, and they are so delicious as well. I have to have carbs as well as protein in the morning–even if I get a breakfast full of protein, if I don’t have carbs, I’ll still be hungry not too long after!
Absolutely! I’m right there with you. I need carbs at every meal and snack. #carbsfolife
Since I usually work out in the morning I make a conscious effort to always have a good PFC mix with breakfast (all meals, but definitely breakfast) & it’s usually a pretty good size, followed by snacks.
I love some oatmeal with protein powder, I’ve been loving baked oatmeal since it’s easy to prep ahead. But even an english muffin with some cheese, 2 HB eggs + an apple usually does me good. Especially since my mid-morning snack is often greek yogurt.
Do you feel like it makes a difference if all 25-ish grams are consumed in one sitting versus sort of constant grazing? Often my breakfast is eaten a little at a time as I try to take breaks from responding to emails.
I think it’s a personal preference that depends on your schedule! Sometimes I don’t want to be grazing all morning if I’m meeting with clients but if I do an early morning workout, I’ll probably split the breakfast up into a few servings!
I love seeing the breakdown of the protein in all of the ingredients. I’m thinking one of your sweet potato turkey burgers topped with a fried egg for a dreamy breakfast needs to happen asap
Yes! A dreamy savory option. I think they’d be perfect for brunch!
These ideas make getting protein in a breeze! What a delicious way to start the day!
I always eat quite frequently – regardless of how big of a meal I have so I usually eat breakfast and then have a snack between breakfast and lunch (and then between lunch and dinner and then after dinner, haha) . This girl neeeeds food!
I’m the same way, Kristy!
Seriously drooling over that first picture. What is that a breakfast pizza? MMMMMM! I always make egg muffins at the beginning of the week to start my day with protein. It truly helps!
Yes! It’s a recipe on my blog. Egg muffins are such great portable options!
Really enjoyed this! Too often I forget about other sources of protein. Curious, does the protein source matter?
I would try to stick more towards the lean sources of protein from whole foods and less on packaged products with protein added.
These look like some great ideas! Ive never calculated how much protein I get at breakfast, but I think it must be pretty high- I usually eat a piece of a frittata with eggs, bacon, and veggies and a superhero muffin. Id love to try something new at some point though so thanks for sharing these!
breakfast is my fav meal of the day too! I love adding egg whites in my oats for some extra protein! or making my overnight oats with greek yogurt. 🙂
Greek yogurt is the only way to make overnight oats – so thick and creamy!
I was just talking to my mom about protein @ breakfast this morning- she keeps having toast for breakfast then is starving by lunch! I’ll have to share this with her.
It’s a simple change that makes such a big difference!
I love breakfast too! Lately I’ve been mixing in egg whites or eggs to my oatmeal (or just keeping it grain-free and mixing with banana) for a higher protein breakfast. Hemp seeds and chia seeds are other favourite additions!
Love mixing an egg in. It makes the oatmeal so much thicker!
Oh wow, thank you so much for this Sarah; I love how you showed the equations especially with the oatmeal bowl; I realized that you can get enough protein without protein powder. I need to try one of these for oatmeal or yogurt bowls.
You certainly can, Emily!!
egg sandwiches are my favorite!! making one now!!
Yes! They are so good!!
Ha! Yayy!!! Thank you for answering my request! This is awesome and really, really helpful. Keeping it in my “nutrition info” document. Holy greek yogurt and cottage cheese!! I didn’t realize it had THAT much protein potential.
It was such a good request, keep ‘um coming! I know – cottage cheese potential for the win!
These options are great! I’ve been loving yogurt bowls lately! Breakfast is my favorite meal too! 🙂
Creamy yogurt bowls are so good!