High protein low sugar breakfast ideas
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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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