The practical guide to protein – How to wake up right everyday

So now you have a new appreciation of the power of protein to pep you up as you age, it’s time to fit more in at the important time of breakfast. But what are the top choices? And how much do you really need?

Breakfast like a King

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, helping to break the overnight fast, keep a healthy weight and boost your nutrient intakes. But did you know that many people fail to pep up with enough protein at breaky?

Dairy foods are the obvious place to boost your high-quality protein intake. Dairy protein is what’s called complete protein. By complete, we mean that it contains all the amino acids required to work directly in muscle tissues to build and repair. That means more nutritional value out of less volume. Dairy foods are also easy to digest, readily available in milk, yoghurt and cheese or dairy protein powder, affordable and delicious.

So what are you waiting for? Why not:

• Whip up a milk, yoghurt, berry and oat bran smoothie

• Add extra dollops of yoghurt to your porridge or cereal

• Make a cheese omelette with mushrooms and fresh herbs

Count on it

Different protein rich foods, like meat, chicken, fish, dairy, nuts and seeds, have different grams of protein content. Most of us have a good sized portion of fish or meat with our evening meal so it’s easy to clock up our protein counts. Breakfast can be more challenging, especially if you typically eat a light meal like just tea and toast. But with a boost of dairy, it’s so much easier. Take a look at these ways of getting an extra protein boost and harness new habits to breakfast like a King:

Take a look at these protein rich examples to help harness new habits and breakfast like a King:

Breaky Boost

Get down to the dairy

Base your breaky around 1-2 serves of dairy protein. Along with the traditional milk on cereal or porridge, you may like to:

• Add a  mug of hot milky drink (250mL) = 9.0g extra protein

• Whip up a fruit smoothie with 2 tablespoons of whey protein powder = 18g extra protein

• Scoop into 150g ‘thick and creamy’ yoghurt = 4.8g extra protein

Wake up to an egg

It’s a myth that eggs are to be avoided for heart health.

• 2 scrambled eggs (with milk added) = 13.8g extra protein

• Boiled or poached egg = 6g extra 

Go nuts for more

Nuts and seeds contain protein and also healthy fats, plus add a delicious flavour to cereal or fruit and yoghurt, especially when toasted. Sprinkle around:

• 20g sliced almonds = 3.8g extra protein

• 20g chopped cashew nuts = 3.5g extra protein

• 20g sunflower seeds = 4.6g extra protein

Making change takes time and effort, so you need to know that it’s going to be worth it. Fortunately, you don’t have to take our word for it – you can share your own experiences and learn how others have discovered benefits like increased strength, better mobility and sustained energy here on GrownUps.

By Emma Stirling APD