Are you getting your breakfast protein? Don't forget the eggs!
Cereal with milk is a go-to breakfast choice for many but emerging science suggests that won’t deliver enough protein. Adding eggs to our weekday routine can help. Convincing research is showing that not only do we need more protein than we once thought but that breakfast is the meal most short changed for protein. For ultimate health, we need protein throughout the day. That’s why experts now suggest we think about protein needs per meal, not protein needs per day. Ideally, adults should aim for 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Cereal with milk? That gives you only about 8 grams of protein. Eggs can help to make up for the protein shortfall at breakfast. Two eggs or one Canada’s Food Guide serving provides 12 grams of protein along with 13 essential nutrients making them one of the best nutritional buys in the grocery store. Give your breakfast a protein boost. Here’s how: Typical “at home” breakfast A breakfast of bran flake type cereal, milk and a piece of fruit has 9 grams of protein. That’s 11-20 grams short on protein. Give it a boost :
- Add 2 hard-cooked eggs (12 grams protein) for a total of 21 grams of protein
Consider this: Without enough protein at breakfast, come mid-morning, you may find yourself reaching for a 400 calorie muffin! Two eggs adds only 140 hunger-curbing, protein-rich calories to this meal. Grab-and-go breakfast A granola bar, apple and fruit bottom yogurt has 8 grams of protein. That’s 12-22 grams short on protein. Give it a boost:
- Swap the granola bar for ¼ cup almonds (8 grams protein) and likely fewer calories too
- Swap the regular yogurt cup for a Greek yogurt cup (8 grams protein)
- Add a hard-cooked egg (6 grams protein)
- Keep the fruit (1 gram protein)
- Total 23 grams of protein
Coffee shop breakfast A muffin and a coffee has 4 grams of protein. That’s 16-20 grams short on protein. Give it a boost:
- Swap the muffin for an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich (13 grams protein)
- Swap the coffee for a latte (8 grams protein)
- Total 21 grams of protein
Some other great options to boost your protein at breakfast are: peanut or almond butter, cheese, cottage cheese, milk, smoothies made with silken tofu or yogurt, nuts, seeds, baked beans or even dinner leftovers. Do you think your breakfast needs a protein boost? Carol