Low fat protein to add to oatmeal/hot cereal?
Phaewryn
Posts: 142 Member
Anybody found a good powdered unsweetened almond, cashew, or tree nut butter or other very neutral flavored protein powder for putting into their breakfast cereal (oatmeal, oat bran, cream of wheat, etc.) to boost the protein? I usually intend to buy some chicken breakfast sausages, but they are often not in stock when I do my monthly grocery store trip. I know I could just eat some meat alongside my hot cereal, but for when I'm out of meat, I'd like something in the pantry I can add to my cereal to boost the protein without boosting the fat much. I can't stand the taste of whey protein powder, so looking for a nut or otherwise very mild flavored plant-based one that's not peanut (because I hate peanuts) or pea (because I have that and it doesn't work in oatmeal for me). It can't have any artificial sweeteners, I'm looking for pure proteins without a lot of added artificial/alternative ingredients (sugar, allulose, and things like corn syrup, rice syrup and things that otherwise translate to sugar are acceptable, but I'm sensitive to artificial sweeteners). Or other ideas for things to stir into my bowl to boost the protein. Or perhaps really easy things to eat on the side I've just forgotten exist. My dietician has given me a goal of adding some protein to my breakfast of hot cereal and I won't sacrifice/waste the fat macros on breakfast because I like having them to use for dinner (where I like the freedom to dump half a cup of pesto into my bowl relatively guilt-free). She suggested just adding nuts, but I'm having a hard time rationalizing doing that (I need my pesto and parmesan like I need oxygen - it is my life blood and the reason eating isn't a futile exercise in tedium). Is there a defatted nut protein powder that everyone uses (other than the peanut ones)? Like maybe a nice hazelnut or cashew one? I could just not eat hot cereal, but I prefer it over other breakfast options because it doesn't leave me craving things later in the day like I would be if I had sugar for breakfast (like yogurt with fruit or yogurt with granola, which are the only other two fast easy things I tend to bother doing in the morning - and if it's not easy then I just don't eat at all which is something I need to stop doing).
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I like hemp powder. It's fairly dark in color-- which took a bit of getting used to-- but the flavor is only a very faint nuttiness.
I also add chia and flax seeds to my oats when I cook them2 -
Would an egg be too much fat at breakfast? I like a fried egg over top of my savory oatmeal.4
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1) Don't fear fats, especially nuts and other healthy fats. They are great for you.
2) Meat or egg on the side sounds like your favorite. Great stuff. One great dish is an egg or two on curried oats.
3) I eat oats, nuts, berries, and non-fat plain Greek yogurt every morning. The yogurt boosts the protein a bit.2 -
Sunflower protein is incredible! Powdered almond butter works too. Hemp protein, pumpkin seed protein and rice protein may work. I have seen chia protein too
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I like nutritional yeast in my oatmeal sometimes. That and black pepper makes a pretty edible product. Two tablespoons would have four grams of protein.4
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I add Sports Now pea protein unflavored, Trader Joe's vanilla pea protein or Tera's Grass fed whey unflavored protein to my hot cereals. All of those are very basic (either just the protein or vanilla and protein). If I don't add in protein powders, instead I will do some plain Greek yogurt with added fruit and a tiny bit of sweetener to go alongside my hot cereal. If you use frozen fruit, you may not even have to do add any sweetener. However, I allow a pretty decent allotment for breakfast (around 450-500 calories).0
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I add nutritional yeast, as well unflavored whey (which I read above you don't like) to my daily oatmeal. If you boost the yeast to offset not using whey, you'd get some good protein, plus a lot of B vitamins. Also, though, the taste. About 1 TB in my oats adds a flavor note, 2 TB brings it front-and-center. If you like it, that OK, but for me, it was an acquired taste. They say, "it tastes cheesy" ... well, maybe, maybe not, LOL.
How about powdered egg whites? Also, powdered low-fat milk? Wheat germ? I myself stay away from soy and bean powders, and take my nuts in spreadable butters or whole form, not powders. Switching to, for instance, bulgur, from oatmeal, raises your protein intake a bit. I like that, and sometimes also classic Wheatena.
I consider my routine (85% of of the time) oats-whey-yeast-fruit-milk breakfast to be a "building block base" around which I set the rest of my intake to meet my macros and weight-loss goals. Typically, milk just a couple of splashes, and often none at all. The other thing you might do is toss the morning-cereal concept entirely and feast on some protein (meats, eggs, etc.) in the morning as your "base" then move to other food groups as you might desire during the day.
I bake most of our bread. I often add the whey, or powdered milk or powdered buttermilk to the mix to both add protein and some variety.
One last suggestion is to think of oatmeal as a potential savory meal, in which you can add meats, cheeses and other foodstuffs that an "irish-like" porridge doesn't usually include.
I like Cream of Wheat, too, as you list, but I don't think there's that much protein in it vs. carbs.
Good luck.
Afterthough edits:
(1). Unflavored yogurt (greek or regular) as the dairy in your oatmeal. Rather than milk; Greek especially gives a protein boost just due to its concentration.
(2). Just mix in nut butters. My daughter just reminded me she does that. Along with a mix of other things, such as chia, walnuts, etc. She makes quite a bowl.
(3). I take daily meds, one of which is just before bed, and I need to have something in my stomach. I often make a small bowl mixed of yogurt/nutbutter (peanut or sunflower seed). That's another add to my daily protein intake.1 -
I see that someone has already suggested an egg over savoury oatmeal; I make a savoury oatmeal with some cheddar and a scallion stirred in while it's cooking, then top it with a fried egg and mushrooms.
I have also made what I call "pumpkin pie oatmeal": make your oatmeal with milk or a milk-like beverage, then stir in a couple tablespoons canned pumpkin, spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, etc.), and a beaten egg in the last few minutes. The egg makes it custard-y and delicious. You can also top the whole thing with chopped pecans or walnuts. And brown sugar!3 -
Boost Pure Protein. Unflavored. I can't taste it in anything I add it to.0
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I add nonfat milk to my oatmeal. You could add it to the cooking water, or pour it on top of the already-cooked oatmeal.
To boost the protein at breakfast and avoid mid-morning hunger, I also have some nonfat cottage cheese. Different brands of cottage cheese taste different to me, but I've found a couple that I like. It's got quite a bit of protein, and isn't high-calorie.1 -
How about powdered egg whites? Also, powdered low-fat milk? Wheat germ? I myself stay away from soy and bean powders, and take my nuts in spreadable butters or whole form, not powders. Switching to, for instance, bulgur, from oatmeal, raises your protein intake a bit. I like that, and sometimes also classic Wheatena.
I consider my routine (85% of of the time) oats-whey-yeast-fruit-milk breakfast to be a "building block base" around which I set the rest of my intake to meet my macros and weight-loss goals. Typically, milk just a couple of splashes, and often none at all. The other thing you might do is toss the morning-cereal concept entirely and feast on some protein (meats, eggs, etc.) in the morning as your "base" then move to other food groups as you might desire during the day.
I bake most of our bread. I often add the whey, or powdered milk or powdered buttermilk to the mix to both add protein and some variety.
One last suggestion is to think of oatmeal as a potential savory meal, in which you can add meats, cheeses and other foodstuffs that an "irish-like" porridge doesn't usually include.
Afterthough edits:
(1). Unflavored yogurt (greek or regular) as the dairy in your oatmeal. Rather than milk; Greek especially gives a protein boost just due to its concentration.
(2). Just mix in nut butters. My daughter just reminded me she does that. Along with a mix of other things, such as chia, walnuts, etc. She makes quite a bowl.
(3). I take daily meds, one of which is just before bed, and I need to have something in my stomach. I often make a small bowl mixed of yogurt/nutbutter (peanut or sunflower seed). That's another add to my daily protein intake.
Powdered egg whites, humm, that's worth a try. Sounds flavorless? Meringue is, so I assume egg white powder is.
I have wheat bran (which I use in making bread to boost the fiber content and to dust the top to make it fancy), but have never tried wheat germ. I'll give that a go.
I make my oatmeal with plain water, no dairy. I do eat greek yogurt, but had never considered adding it to my porridge. I'm about as Irish as Irish gets. I make my oatmeal porridge watery and turn the bowl up and drink it. I can't be bothered with a spoon.
I like it generally watery and mostly flavorless other than mildly nutty, which is probably why I find making it with dairy milk or adding whey protein to it so off-putting. That's why it's so hard for me to find something to add to it, because it needs to be fairly flavorless or it's going to ruin the experience for me. I actually enjoy the natural flavor of oatmeal. I do use dairy in the Cream of Wheat, but like you said, it's not exactly a healthy cereal, it's more of a treat.
You're right about me just tossing the whole porridge breakfast out the window. That might be the best solution. I Just need to walk through the grocery store carefully and consider my options. I know I'm not going to do it if it requires effort and multiple steps (executive dysfunction, I'm working on it, just got in with a therapist too). I just hate to fall back to greek yogurt with granola on top, because of the high sugar content in the granola gives me a steep low blood sugar swing and sweets cravings. I tried putting Grape-Nuts cereal on top for a while but it's just so unsatisfying (the Love Crunch granola is so yummy but so naughty). I wish I could find a high fiber crunchy yogurt topping that's not full of sugar, artificial sweeteners, or fat (read that as coconut, which was also delicious on top of yogurt but sucks the life out of my dinner macros). Something just a *little* I mean only *marginally* more palatable/rewarding than Grape-Nuts.
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rosebarnalice wrote: »I like hemp powder. It's fairly dark in color-- which took a bit of getting used to-- but the flavor is only a very faint nuttiness.
I will give that a shot. Any particular brand you're using?
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Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »1) Don't fear fats, especially nuts and other healthy fats. They are great for you.
2) Meat or egg on the side sounds like your favorite. Great stuff. One great dish is an egg or two on curried oats.
3) I eat oats, nuts, berries, and non-fat plain Greek yogurt every morning. The yogurt boosts the protein a bit.
I may just end up eating a greek yogurt on the side. I tried plain oats on top of yogurt and the texture just doesn't work for me. I need my yogurt topper to be crunchy, not just hard to chew.
To be clear, I have no fear of fats. I eat plenty of fat (my macro is set to 20% fat and that's a loose general guidepost I'm going to often blow past), I just like to save most of it for my dinner macros. Pesto sauce and cheese contains a LOT of fat so I need to keep breakfast low fat so I can gorge on it for dinner where I will miss it more if I don't have it. I also don't mind having some leftover for late evening snacking. It just seems silly to waste fat macros on breakfast, a meal I hate eating anyway and never enjoy (I'm not a morning person). I'm a huge fan of olive oil. I put it in everything. Every piece of chicken I saute is done in at least half a tablespoon of olive oil. I even deep fry (usually tempura) in olive oil occasionally (yes, you CAN). I eat avocados, salmon, hummus, I even take an Omega 3,6,9 supplement.
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Sunflower protein is incredible! Powdered almond butter works too. Hemp protein, pumpkin seed protein and rice protein may work. I have seen chia protein too
I didn't know seed proteins existed! Thank you! This is worth exploring! These look good! I see they have some fat, but not as much as I would have expected, and they are good fats. Great recommendation, thank you! Do you have any specific brands you really like?1 -
I add nonfat milk to my oatmeal. You could add it to the cooking water, or pour it on top of the already-cooked oatmeal.
To boost the protein at breakfast and avoid mid-morning hunger, I also have some nonfat cottage cheese. Different brands of cottage cheese taste different to me, but I've found a couple that I like. It's got quite a bit of protein, and isn't high-calorie.
I'll add some cottage cheese to my shopping list and give that a try. You just eat that, like with a spoon from a bowl or do you put it on toast or crackers or something?0 -
I just buy myself and my daughter separate tubs of cottage cheese, and don't bother with a dish, just straight out of the container.:D
a mushed banana and almond butter in oats or nutella (I've seen healthier homemade nutella-like recipes)
or I just eat the oats with a banana and pecans on the side. Not fat free, but I changed my food diary to where it shows saturated fats and just worry about not going over in that area.1 -
I like a scoop of Vega protein powder in my morning oatmeal. The salted caramel toffee flavor is my favorite. It’s pea protein powder and the amount of sugar is very minimal.0
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I just buy myself and my daughter separate tubs of cottage cheese, and don't bother with a dish, just straight out of the container.:D a mushed banana and almond butter in oats or nutella (I've seen healthier homemade nutella-like recipes)
or I just eat the oats with a banana and pecans on the side. Not fat free, but I changed my food diary to where it shows saturated fats and just worry about not going over in that area.
That's how I do it, too! Unless I'm using it as a salad dressing, in which case I will pour it over the salad plate, and then lick the container to the last itsy bitsy. (I love cottage cheese, in case there were any doubts
)
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Try switching to oat bran instead of oat meal; it has a bit more protein. (Red Mill "high fiber" oat bran is the highest in protein,) Or wheat germ, you can make hot cereal from it just like oatmeal.1
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Sunflower protein is incredible! Powdered almond butter works too. Hemp protein, pumpkin seed protein and rice protein may work. I have seen chia protein too
I didn't know seed proteins existed! Thank you! This is worth exploring! These look good! I see they have some fat, but not as much as I would have expected, and they are good fats. Great recommendation, thank you! Do you have any specific brands you really like?Sunflower protein is incredible! Powdered almond butter works too. Hemp protein, pumpkin seed protein and rice protein may work. I have seen chia protein too
I didn't know seed proteins existed! Thank you! This is worth exploring! These look good! I see they have some fat, but not as much as I would have expected, and they are good fats. Great recommendation, thank you! Do you have any specific brands you really like?
A company called Natural Zing I order on line has chocolate sunflower protein I love. Foods alive and Natures Plus, both I order on line.Manatoba Harvest for hemp protein😊0 -
I love a product on amazon called "Protein 4 Oats." It's a protein powder made specifically to add to oatmeal. Mixes well and comes in a variety of flavors like strawberry, apple cinnamond, vanilla, honey peanut butter. It adds 20g of protein to your oatmeal.0
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Add quinoa to your oats. It adds great texture (IMO) and also has protein. Cooks at the same rate as steel cut oats/non 'quick cooking' oats'.
I also add chia seeds and hemp hearts to my oatmeal.
My go to oatmeal is:
1 tbl butter
I use water as the liquid
1/4 cup of steel cut oats
~1/8 cup of quinoa
Mushed up banana
cinnamon
Chia seeds - 1 tbl
Hemp hearts - 1tbl
Sometime I also add a spoonful of PB (or PB2 powder). Sometimes I'll add additional fruit like grapes. Protein powder that I've tried to add to my oatmeal has messed up my recipe (i.e. probably need to add more liquid).0 -
Available on amazon in other flavors too like apple cinnamon, vanilla almond, strawberry.
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The easiest option would probably be using protein-enriched (dairy) milk unless you're allergic to casein. (Lactose-removed 2% protein-added milk is commonly available at most stores around here including generic brands).0
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