Are you getting enough protein with breakfast?
Most nutrition clients I work with simply have no idea that they’re not eating enough protein.
The RDA is terribly low and is actually the minimum – not the optimum – amount you need. Low protein intake impacts muscle growth, energy levels, satiety, and immune function.
Some worry that “too much” protein will cause health issues like kidney damage, but this is simply untrue. I’ve found that the more protein someone eats, the better they feel, the fuller they feel, and the less likely they are to overeat. If you want to learn more about this topic, check out my recent post on high protein diets here.
There are several ways to measure protein quality. Without getting too technical, (you can read my book Sacred Cow for a more detailed explanation) animal sourced foods are the most bioavailable source of protein, meaning we can use it better than protein from plant sources.
In general, I recommend that people consume about 1.6g of protein per kg of bodyweight. This means for most a minimum of 100g of high-quality protein per day.
I personally feel best when I’m close to about 130 – 140g of animal-sourced protein. This can be incredibly challenging to do, especially if you start your day without enough.
Spreading your protein intake out evenly through the day is far better for muscle synthesis than eating most of your protein at dinner (which most people do).
You may be thinking, “But I heard that eating more than 30g of protein at a meal is dumb because you can’t use it all.” Nope, that’s wrong.
Starting your day with at least 30g of high-quality animal sourced foods is one of the easiest ways to fill you up and help you reach your daily goal.
A lot of people think that having a couple of eggs for breakfast means they’re getting “high protein” but eggs are shockingly low in protein. A large egg only has about 6 – 7 grams of protein. So, a breakfast with 2 eggs is only about 12 – 14g of protein, plus the small and hard-to-access protein from whatever plant material you’re consuming in the form of toast or potatoes.
If you’re someone who really likes to eat “breakfast” foods for breakfast (I often will just have some leftover steak and veggies to start the day, but I get it – lots of people feel breakfast needs to be certain foods) then I STRONGLY encourage you to add some additional meat to your eggs.
Bumping up your protein with about 4oz of smoked salmon, ham, Canadian bacon, or sausages can get you at or over your 30g of protein threshold.
I’m a big fan of Pederson’s bacon and their breakfast sausages come in mild, spicy or chorizo flavor. I love them all!
Below I’ll share one of my favorite recipes that incorporates Pederson’s great products.
Additionally, if you are interested in any of their products, you can use code “SUSTAINABLEDISH” at checkout for 12% off any of their products! That deal ends October 31st so act fast. Click here to see their store.
Now, on to the recipe!
Protein Breakfast Bowl with Eggs, Sweet Potato, Garlicky Spinach, and Sausage:
Breakfast bowls are a fun way to incorporate some veggies and color, and you can make the ingredients at the beginning of the week and just warm up the components and top with some freshly fried or scrambled eggs.
Eggs take NO TIME to make – they’re faster than boiling water, so don’t tell me you have no time so need to eat cereal or a bagel. You can include anything you like but my favorite combination is the following (I forgot to include the mushrooms in the photo, but I always add them when they’re on hand).
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Cut sweet potatoes into 1 – 2 inch cubes and toss with olive oil and your favorite spice blend – I like Primal Palate Meat and Potatoes. Roast in a 400 degree F oven for 15 – 20 min or until done, tossing ½ way through.
Roasted Mushrooms
Stem the mushrooms and slice or quarter. I like “baby bellas” or shitakes. Toss in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and a few cloves of fresh garlic. You can roast these with the sweet potatoes.
Sautéed Spinach with Garlic
Warm a pan over medium heat with some olive oil. Add several cloves of fresh garlic and top with fresh baby spinach. I prefer cooking until just wilted, then spritz some fresh lemon juice over it, salt and pepper
Pederson’s Breakfast Sausage (or sausage of your choice but read the label to make sure no funny stuff is added). Their breakfast sausages are pre-cooked, so you just need to brown them in a pan. When done, set aside on a plate with paper towel to drain off any excess fat.
Eggs – I do strongly prefer pasture-raised eggs because of their nutritional value, preferably from a local farmer, and cooked in butter. For a quick weekday option, hard boil your eggs on the weekend, and you have one less thing to do on a busy morning when you need to jet out the door.
Assemble all of the ingredients in a bowl, top with fresh cilantro, “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning from Trader Joes, some dehydrated kelp (good to get your iodine), and a few avocado slices.
The following breakfast bowl was 30g protein, 19g net carbs, 27g fat and 470 calories. It also contained over 50% of the daily requirement of selenium, manganese, vitamin K, vitamin A (beta carotene), and was a rich source of B vitamins, vitamin C, phosphorous, and potassium.
Everyone is different so you may want to add more depending on your individual needs. If you’d like to try tracking your daily intake to see if you’re meeting your protein and micronutrient goals, check out my favorite app, Cronometer.
Try using delicata squash, kale or Swiss chard, roasted carrots, fresh basil or parsley, and other types of spices to add variety to your bowl!
2 thoughts on “Protein Breakfast Bowl”
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing. I typically get around 25g of protien at breakfast and then supplement with whey protien for my drink to bump me up to 50g. I workout lifting heavy weights first thing in the morning prior to eating my breakfast. What are your thoughts on protein supplements? And in terms of this recipe, did you also include calories from the olive oil and butter in the total calorie count? I’m in a cutting phase right now and focusing on hitting 200g protein at under 1900 calories daily, so things like butter and oils are out until I get out of this phase.
Love this! I’ve started boiling a batch of potatoes each week when I boil my eggs. It makes it faster for me to just heat up in the leftover bacon grease or butter. Plus, I believe the resistant starch from having been previously cooked and cooled has additional benefits. I can’t remember where I heard it, but I believe boiling potatoes might also have a lower glycemic response than baking. Is that correct?