Learn the Importance of Eating Protein in Your Breakfast

Proteins are a great source of nutrients for our diet. The best way to consume them is at breakfast.
Learn the Importance of Eating Protein in Your Breakfast
Elisa Morales Lupayante

Written and verified by the pedagogue in physical education and nutritionist Elisa Morales Lupayante.

Last update: 15 December, 2022

Your Body in the Morning

In the morning, the hormones that convert food into energy and regenerate muscle mass prevail. This is because, at this time of day, our body is controlled by cortisol , which is the substance that is responsible for converting proteins into energy.
Due to this process, proteins consumed at this time of day are easily converted into muscle mass and energy. In addition, this contributes to the constant maintenance of glucose levels over many hours.

Eating Protein


This is an incredible way to preserve muscle mass and improve your mental concentration, which is perfect for work or study hours. It’s also critical to avoid feeling hungry after many hours and experience an increase in body temperature.
In addition, proteins allow us to accelerate our metabolism much more than when they’re eaten at night. This makes it easier for the rest of the day to also avoid a greater storage of fats.
Read also: Speeding Up Your Metabolism, One of the Best Options When You Want to Lose Weight

The function of proteins

Thanks to the proteins that we eat during breakfast, we keep our blood glucose levels more stable, making it possible to maintain that mental concentration.
In addition, we increase our memory and our capacity for reasoning.

By having an adequate availability of glucose, the brain will not need to activate emergency systems to obtain it from another source and can devote itself completely to its intellectual functions.

The importance of proteins at breakfast goes further, since they act directly in the brain’s production of adrenaline and dopamine. This allows us to generate an improvement in our reasoning capacity as well as learning skills.
You must read: The Release of Adrenaline: the Activation, Stress and Headache Hormone

Protein Rich Breakfast


Another advantage of having a proper protein-filled breakfast is that it makes it easier to lose weight. This way, we can include in our diet all the food that is necessary to both have energy and to control hunger.
In addition, a protein-filled breakfast helps you get the necessary nutrients to elevate your  serotonin  levels and control carbohydrate cravings, which will lead to a healthy diet and encourage weight loss.
By accelerating your metabolism and controlling hunger and addiction, you’ll prevent that need to “snack” throughout the day.

Examples of protein-rich breakfast

So what are you waiting for?
Let’s take a look at some breakfasts with a high protein content. T his way, you can benefit from all the good consequences of consuming these nutrients at the beginning of the day.

Oatmeal as protein at breakfast


Oatmeal is a good food to eat at breakfast for a variety of reasons.
  • First, it’s an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and soluble fiber. Not only does it facilitate digestion, but it also will keep you full for longer.
  • In addition, soluble fiber will also help control blood sugar levels and reduce blood pressure.
  • This breakfast provides a good amount of protein and is a perfect choice for a vegetarian diet.

Greek yogurt


Yogurt is a dairy product that’s also a great source of protein at breakfast to start the day.
Plus, it also provides a good amount of calcium and vitamin D. 

Omelettes or scrambled eggs

Egg omelettes with spinach

Eggs are a very tasty option that are rich in proteins and free of carbohydrates. They’re an excellent source of protein.
Some people are concerned about the cholesterol found in eggs. However, this cholesterol is actually known as “good cholesterol” and is beneficial for health. Unless you eat 10 eggs a day, it’s difficult to exceed the recommended levels of saturated fats.
Therefore, eggs are one of the best options to include proteins in your breakfast. This is what makes them the breakfast stars in many countries.

All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Davies RW., Carson BP., Jakeman PM., The effect of whey protein supplementation on the temporal recovery of muscle function following resistance training: a systematic review and meta analysis. Nutrients, 2018.
  • Kung B., Anderson GH., Paré S., Tucker AJ., et al., Effect of milk protein intake and casein to whey ratio in breakfast meals on postpandrial glucose, satiety ratings and subsequent meal intake. J Dairy Sci, 2018. 101 (10): 8688-8701.
  • Reynolds AN., Akerman AP., Mann J., Dietary fibre and whole grains in diabetes management: systematic review and meta analysis. PLoS Med, 2020.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.