High protein low sugar breakfast ideas
Hi! I'm trying to change my breakfast habits: here in Italy breakfast is usually sweet things, like cookies or cakes, with some milk and coffee. When I eat my usual breakfast I'm usually hungry after a few hours, but I noticed that if I eat less sugar in the morning and more protein I can go through the mornign till lunch without being hungry. And it helps me reaching my protein goal for the day. Today was toasted whole wheat bread with a scrambled egg. I just need help finding more recipes! They should be around 200kcal and semi-vegetarian (meaning I don't eat meat but fish is ok, as well as egg and dairy).
I know it could sound as a strange request, since you are used to this kind of breakfast, but here everybody is used to sweet and sugary breakfasts so I really don't know where to start!
If you need to know some stats: I'm 5'2", sedentary, on 1200 kcal a day, that I try to split in 200 breakfast, 400 lunch, 200 pre-workout meal in the afternoon, 400 dinner, and right now this is working for me, exept for the breakfast thing!
And since someone is going to ask, yes I have a foodscale!
Thank you!
I know it could sound as a strange request, since you are used to this kind of breakfast, but here everybody is used to sweet and sugary breakfasts so I really don't know where to start!
If you need to know some stats: I'm 5'2", sedentary, on 1200 kcal a day, that I try to split in 200 breakfast, 400 lunch, 200 pre-workout meal in the afternoon, 400 dinner, and right now this is working for me, exept for the breakfast thing!
And since someone is going to ask, yes I have a foodscale!
Thank you!
4
Replies
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Scrambled eggs is my usual go-to actually. But an omelette is nice for a small change (I do mine with some combo of sauteed onions, mushrooms, frozen peas or spinach if I have it) or a fritatta using much the same ingredients, sometimes with some parmesan on top for a bit of extra crunch. Adding some chicken or fish takes this above 200kcal obviously but it will keep you full for hours if you do.
For not-eggy breakfasts I'm less useful (because I love eggs) but I have started having low fat cottage cheese (9g protein/100g) with fruit as a 150-200kcal snack which feels very breakfasty to me! I like using frozen berry mixes, bananas etc but you could add in some nuts/ seeds/ granola to boost the protein even more very easily.6 -
Thanks, the cottage cheese idea is interesting! I never thought to eat it with fruit...
I like eggs too, but just not everyday 2 -
Thanks, the cottage cheese idea is interesting! I never thought to eat it with fruit...
I like eggs too, but just not everyday
You can pretty much mix cottage cheese with anything, both sweet and salty. On a rice cake with some strawberries on top, or with ham, tomato and basil.
For a sweet breakfast in the morning, oatmeal is a good option, you can just cook it for 10 minutes with water instead of milk to drop the calories. Since you'd have to add less oatmeal to keep it under 200 kcal, try adding grated zucchini while cooking (you don't notice the flavor) and a couple egg whites during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, they add great volume. Then just add a sweetener of choice, some strawberries or other fruit/grated coconut/chia seeds/nuts/splash of milk. Some suggestions I personally love are apple pie oatmeal (cook apple chunks with the oatmeal and cinnamon) or carrot cake oatmeal (instead of zucchini, add grated carrot while cooking, then cinnamon, nutmeg and some walnuts).
I don't know if you use whey protein, but I love making waffles/pancakes for breakfast. Though it will probably be about 300 kcal depending on the whey you use.
My go-to recipe is:
1 scoop whey
1 egg (you could substitute with one egg white for lower calorie)
50 grams (2-3 tbsp) protein yoghurt/quark cheese
05-1 tsp baking powder
Add-ins of choice: berries, cinnamon, chia seeds, cacao powder, oats..
I live in France so I totally understand what you mean by the sweet breakfast culture! (Enter croissants, macarons, pain au chocolat, etc..)
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Thanks! I will surely use some of the tricks you suggested for the oatmeal! It's not very known here, but I like it, and I'm trying to experiment with it...1
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My go to's are overnight oat bowls (lots of recipes on-line but Skinnytaste's are the best), egg muffins you can bake Sunday and eat two a day for breakfast and protein shakes with one scoop flavored protein powder, 1 cup of fruit (strawberries for me) and one cup of almond milk. If I'm lazy, I just grab toast with almond butter. The oats, toast and protein shakes have a sweeter taste to them depending upon what you use, so that might help with the transition. I exercise in the morning at work (fasted) and then eat after, so I need things that are make ahead or portable, and these never fail.2
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I usually make a breakfast salad, thats high protein / high fat with very little sugar. spinach, egg, cottage cheese, avocado, almonds. I usually don't even put dressing on it. But Balsamic Vinegar goes well.5
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Thank you, it's all very useful!0
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Eggs are my go to, omelettes are quick, 2 eggs and 1 egg white, spinach, herbs of choice (parsley/ chives are good) and a sprinking of cheese or some smoked salmon - that comes in at around 250-275 cals. It will be hard to get a filling breakfast on 200 cals. If you have a good breakfast it will keep you full until lunch so don't shy away from up to 400 cals at breakfast. So lunch can be 400 and dinner 400 ...although personally I couldn't do 1200 cals, I'm 5ft 2 and needed to lose 20lbs, so I went the slower loss route, aimed for 0.5lb a week, ate 1450 cals plus exercise cals (so averaged 1700 cals gross when I exercised) and lost accordingly
All the best.
ps Love Italy
been to a number of areas and just adore it
Ruth
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Eggs. You can see if you can find low carb tortillas to wrap them in too (not sure what is available where you live).
Greek yogurt/fromage frais/cottage cheese with fruit is nice too.2 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Eggs are my go to, omelettes are quick, 2 eggs and 1 egg white, spinach, herbs of choice (parsley/ chives are good) and a sprinking of cheese or some smoked salmon - that comes in at around 250-275 cals. It will be hard to get a filling breakfast on 200 cals. If you have a good breakfast it will keep you full until lunch so don't shy away from up to 400 cals at breakfast. So lunch can be 400 and dinner 400 ...although personally I couldn't do 1200 cals, I'm 5ft 2 and needed to lose 20lbs, so I went the slower loss route, aimed for 0.5lb a week, ate 1450 cals plus exercise cals (so averaged 1700 cals gross when I exercised) and lost accordingly
All the best.
ps Love Italy been to a number of areas and just adore it
Ruth
Hi, thanks for the advice, and I'm happy you love Italy!
I decided to put just 200 cals at breakfast because I like to have something to eat before I hit the gym in the afternoon, otherwise I'm out of energy, and I have low blood pressure too. I also prefer to have two "bigger" meals al lunch and dinner, and not many little snacks through the day. I'm still experimenting, so I can change it if it doesn't work, but right now this is the best pattern for me, and I wasn't all that hungry these past few days when I've eaten more protein based breakfasts. About the 1200 cals, it is the only way for me, since I don't have to lose much, I'm already in the normal weight range, I'm just trying to shred some "vanity pounds". Before I started cutting I tracked my calories on my normal diet and I was eating ca 1500 cals a day, so for me 1200 is not that much of a deficit, and MFP itself calculated that to lose 0.5 pounds a week I should eat 1250, and many days I do eat a little over 1200, 50 cals are easy to gain here and there, so I think I couldn't go slower even if I tried. As for exercise calories, I go to the gym for about 45' almost everyday, but at my weight I burn less then others, so usually I'm burning 130/150 cals a day, as you can see, it isn't much to add to my net. Ideally I would like to "bank" them and eat more in the weekends, but more often then not I do eat some of those cals back, just eating a banana after dinner is enough to eat half of them back. But I'm not complaining, I'm ok with this trend, I'm losing very slowly but I'm not in a rush4 -
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Eggs cooked in a mug in the microwave. You can poach, scramble or fry, however you like it. (If you poach or fry, remember to pierce the yolk, otherwise the egg may explode). I cover it with a folded paper towel, microwave for 20 seconds, then every 10 seconds until it is done to my liking.
You can add veggies, meats, cheese etc, as little or as much as you like.
I like English muffins as the egg is the perfect size for a breakfast sandwich. I do use wraps when I scramble the egg.
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missysippy930 wrote: »Eggs cooked in a mug in the microwave. You can poach, scramble or fry, however you like it. (If you poach or fry, remember to pierce the yolk, otherwise the egg may explode). I cover it with a folded paper towel, microwave for 20 seconds, then every 10 seconds until it is done to my liking.
You can add veggies, meats, cheese etc, as little or as much as you like.
I like English muffins as the egg is the perfect size for a breakfast sandwich. I do use wraps when I scramble the egg.
I thought you couldn't cook eggs in the microwave... I'll look it up, it would surely be fast and clean0 -
Okay so this basically just an egg idea too, but I love making a crustless quiche (or frittata I guess) and freezing the individual portions so I can eat them whenever! I bake it in a cake pan so I can make a lot. I do about 6-7 whole eggs and then 3-4 egg whites to cut calories. About a cup of liquid: either 1/2 skim milk, 1/2 water, a bit of heavy cream, what ever kind of dairy you want to use. Load it with spinach and broccoli, and then cheese! Goat cheese and mozz preferably. Well seasoned. And bake it for about 45 min! I get about 6 peices out of it, about 170 cal per piece and I think 15 gram protein. Makes me feel like I'm not just eating scrambled eggs again for the 10th time this week.
Also, if you're used to sweet (as am i) maybe try a custard with little to no sugar or honey? Or some fruit usually helps my sugar craving!3 -
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Those are just too much work. Bake the whole thing in a 9 inch dish and just cut a piece, lol.3 -
Thanks a lot to all!0
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Do you have peanut butter? Put it on wheat toast with banana sliced on top. My fave breakfast item.3
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I feel ya! I’m in the same boat where even picking a slow rate of weight loss equals a low calorie level. I also find a high protein breakfast indispensable for satiety at this calorie level.
Do you like Greek yogurt? I find that very filling, easily one of my most filling foods.
There’s a recipe in this folder for low-calorie high-protein cheesecake. It’s delicious and, to me, very filling! I just made it for the second consecutive week. I’d highly rec giving it a try. (To like the flavor of the finished product, it’s important that you use a protein powder whose flavor you enjoy.) I alter the base recipe by using low-fat cream cheese (rather than non-fat) and a flavored Greek yogurt. That increases the calories but not by much. The first time I made it, I also put in calorific add-ins (chocolate, dried cherries, and almonds) but this time I didn’t use any add-ins and it’s still delish.
Protein smoothies are another option.1 -
Chunkahlunkah wrote: »I feel ya! I’m in the same boat where even picking a slow rate of weight loss equals a low calorie level. I also find a high protein breakfast indispensable for satiety at this calorie level.
Do you like Greek yogurt? I find that very filling, easily one of my most filling foods.
There’s a recipe in this folder for low-calorie high-protein cheesecake. It’s delicious and, to me, very filling! I just made it for the second consecutive week. I’d highly rec giving it a try. (To like the flavor of the finished product, it’s important that you use a protein powder whose flavor you enjoy.) I alter the base recipe by using low-fat cream cheese (rather than non-fat) and a flavored Greek yogurt. That increases the calories but not by much. The first time I made it, I also put in calorific add-ins (chocolate, dried cherries, and almonds) but this time I didn’t use any add-ins and it’s still delish.
Protein smoothies are another option.
Hey thanks! Yes I like greek yogurt! I usually eat it in the affternoon, but I could switch for breakfast too...0 -
I actually prefer almond butter and you could easily make your own. Put almonds into food processor or vitamix and process until it turns into almond butter, stopping occasionally along the way to scrape down the sides and to let it cool down.
If using, add salt to taste and process again briefly to combine.
Store in jars in the fridge. Keeps for weeks.
On a visit to Canada, several places had quinoa bowls for breakfast that were either sweet with fruit and nuts or savory with eggs and vegetables.1 -
I saw your workout comment, and I just have to say that strength training is likely the way to go for you. Lean muscle keeps your metabolism up, even when you aren't in the gym. If you work the circuit trainers, you can get a total body workout that isn't cardio, but will help with those "vanity" pounds for the future.1
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I saw your workout comment, and I just have to say that strength training is likely the way to go for you. Lean muscle keeps your metabolism up, even when you aren't in the gym. If you work the circuit trainers, you can get a total body workout that isn't cardio, but will help with those "vanity" pounds for the future.
Thanks for the tip. I usually do group workouts that are a mix of cardio and strenght. I like them, the teacher is really good and I don't like to work out alone. They are 1h long (but around 45' of real workout), and I go at least 4 days a week. I track them in the app as "Gym - general" or something like that, because I don't really know what else to select. They also made me a training program for the weight room, but I rarely go because I prefer the class and I don't have much time to spend in the gym. In my gym there is also a circuit training class, I tried it and is not bad, but I still prefer what I'm doing now.0 -
You've been given some great ideas, but I'd also point out that... you could eat 'non-breakfast' food for breakfast, if you'd like. It seems obvious, now that someone else had pointed it out, but it wasn't something I'd have thought of myself, so pointing it out in case you hadn't considered it, either. You could make yourself a sandwich, grilled chicken, salad or anything else and eat it in the morning. 0
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Yeah, now it seems so obvious...
Ahahah thanks!1 -
I saw your workout comment, and I just have to say that strength training is likely the way to go for you. Lean muscle keeps your metabolism up, even when you aren't in the gym. If you work the circuit trainers, you can get a total body workout that isn't cardio, but will help with those "vanity" pounds for the future.
This is what I was going to say! Strength training is a really great help in lowering body fat percentage if you are within a normal weight range...or just in general. I was a 5’0 tall woman who weighed 145lbs and still lost 20 lbs by circuit training with the focus more on lifting even while eating 1600 calories a day. At 125lbs, I actually was the same size as my mother who weighed 20 lbs less than me at the size height because I had muscle (size 4)! I’m back because I’ve had a baby and gained weight again0 -
Are nuts of any kind easy to find? Seven minutes in a good quality blender makes you your own nut butter.
No nuts? Chickpeas with sesame paste, olive oil, lime juice and minced garlic. Mash in to hummus. Delish.
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Are nuts of any kind easy to find? Seven minutes in a good quality blender makes you your own nut butter.
No nuts? Chickpeas with sesame paste, olive oil, lime juice and minced garlic. Mash in to hummus. Delish.
Oh yes they are easy to find. Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds are my favourite, I always have them in my pantry. I usually eat them whole, alone or in my yogurt, I can try to make butter out of them, thanks. Actually you could find peanuts just as easily, but they are usually toated and a bit salty, is more of snack...
I love hummus. That is easier to find, and I made it myself a couple of times, but I really cannot see it as a breakfast item, expecially with banana on bread, as dsboohead suggested about the peanut butter 0
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