Protein at breakfast

If you typical breakfast consists of toast or some breakfast cereal then you are probably not getting enough protein in your first meal.

The body is in a depleted and catabolic (muscle breakdown) state when you wake up, its been starved of food for 6-8 hours. Because of this it’s important to make sure that you are getting a sufficient intake of protein with breakfast.

For example-

• a bowel of corn flakes (1 cup) with 150ml's of milk will only provide you with 7 grams of protein.
• Two pieces of toast with jam will provide you with 4 grams of protein.

So how much protein do you need?

Well this will depend on how heavy you are and also what you want to achieve. A good guideline for most people though would be to aim to get around 25-30 grams of protein at breakfast.

This applies to you whether you are trying to loose, gain or even maintain weight. Including more protein in your breakfast will lead to better body composition and less body fat.


How to get enough protein

There are many sources you can get your protein from, here are some examples

• 6 egg whites with 1 yolk quickly scrambled will provide- 26 grams of protein.
• A typical scoop of whey protein will provide you with 20-30 grams of protein.
• 200 grams of Cottage cheese will provide you with 25 grams of protein.

If you are busy and on the go then using a protein supplement to get your quota in the morning would be the best option.