8 Benefits of a High Protein Breakfast

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Julia Valdez

Many people are not aware that eating more protein for breakfast is very important for overall health. There is more awareness today of proteins because of the popularity of the paleo and keto diet trends. While weight loss is one good reason to eat more protein, there are other significant benefits to increasing your protein intake, starting in the morning.

1. Weight Control

Protein can help curb your appetite. This is because protein reduces the levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, in your body. A high protein breakfast will also help you to avoid unnecessary snacking. Protein also, therefore, keeps you from overeating.

A big part of overeating is linked to carboholism, or a craving for carbohydrates. The more carbs you eat, the more you will crave them. The body produces insulin when you eat carbs. When you have high levels of insulin in your body, it will decide to store fats and burn carbs instead. As the body focuses on this energy source, you will want to eat more of it and keep storing more and more fat. With a high protein breakfast, you are not consuming as many carbohydrates. This will help you avoid these dangerous carb cravings.

Moreover, the body uses more calories to metabolize protein, compared to fat or carbs. Protein uses 2 to 4 times more calories to metabolize than fats or carbs. This means that you will burn more of what you eat when you consume more protein.

2. Satiety

Consuming high protein breakfast foods keeps you full for longer. It increases the body’s levels of peptide YY, a hormone that makes you feel full. You can also eat smaller amounts with a healthy protein breakfast and still feel fuller than if you ate a traditional high-carb breakfast.

When you feel full for longer, you will also tend to make healthier food choices for the rest of the day. You aren’t craving or feeling hungry all the time.

3. Mental Performance

Because the body processes proteins more slowly, the energy released is more constant and lasts longer.

Sugary breakfasts composed mainly of grains, in comparison, have the opposite effect. Sugars (which is what carbohydrates turn into when digested) burn fast. A person who consumes carbohydrates, especially processed sugars, will get a sudden burst of energy. When this energy is gone, the body experiences a rapid decline in energy. This leaves the body and mind feeling sluggish.

A high protein breakfast gives you a stable source of energy to draw on so you can remain focused. Without spikes and dips in energy, your body remains in a comfortable state and will not trigger warning signals that demand all your attention.

4. Muscle Strength

Your body needs protein to build muscle. When you eat a high protein breakfast, you give your body a head start after a long rest. You need this infusion of protein to maintain your muscles and increase their strength.

It’s also very important to eat high protein foods for breakfast as opposed to other meals, particularly dinner. The body is inactive after dinner because you’re winding down for bed. You will not be building any muscle while you sleep. Breakfast is the best time for protein because your body will use it for energy, some of this to build muscle, throughout the day.

Weight loss can also affect muscle mass, so you need more protein when you’re dieting to make sure you don’t lose it. This is even more important if you do weight training or other muscle-building activities that use up a lot of energy.

5. Bone Mass

Contrary to what you may have been taught, eating more protein does not cause calcium leaching from your bones. Protein, especially animal p[rotein, does increase the acidity of the body. This can be counteracted, however, by focusing on plant-based proteins and consuming alkaline food and drink, which the body also needs anyway.

More healthy protein in your diet will help you maintain bone mass better and avoid developing osteoporosis later in life.

6. Blood Sugar Levels

As mentioned above, carbohydrates burn fast. Eating carbs causes spikes in blood sugar. And breakfast is the worst time to eat carbs. You’ve been asleep for several hours and haven’t consumed anything. This means that the body is looking for a source of energy to maintain its functions.

Furthermore, regularly consuming carbs for breakfast puts a lot of pressure on the pancreas. When this organ becomes fatigued, it can lead to type 2 diabetes.

7. Balanced Diet

When you eat more protein from good sources, you are also taking in iron, vitamin C, calcium and fiber. These are all important nutrients to maintain balance in the body. Protein also tends to make you want to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, which supply your body with more needed nutrients.

8. Better Metabolism

We already know that consuming more protein makes you burn more calories because metabolising protein takes more energy. You can burn from 80 to 260 additional calories per day by increasing your protein intake, starting with the first meal of the day.

Another boost to metabolism is associated with fat loss. Fat loss causes a drop in metabolic rate because it also reduces muscle mass. Eat a high protein breakfast to help counteract this effect.

Final Thoughts

These are just 8 of the benefits of eating high protein breakfast foods. Protein is one of the body’s essential nutrients, and we can imagine how much more it has to do with keeping us healthy. Starting with a high protein breakfast, however, is a good way to begin each day the right way.

Even with these great benefits, though, it can be difficult for many people to prepare a healthy breakfast every morning. Most will be tempted to grab something easy like a bagel or some cereal. The good news is that there are better alternatives to these carb- and sugar-loaded foods. OWYN — Only What You Need — has a high protein shake range that are just as easy or even easier to grab when you’re short on time. They also have protein bars if you want to feel like you’re eating something more substantial.

Having a protein shake for breakfast may not be the best choice, but it’s a lot better than all the unhealthy instant choices out there. Reach for a morning protein shake instead of a donut or sliced bread. You’ll feel a lot better!

OWYN protein shakes are also very convenient to have for a nice protein boost after a burst of heavy activity. Whether or not you work out, there will always be times when you do some heavy lifting or sprint some distance to avoid being late, for instance. Grab a protein shake before or after to make sure your body has enough to keep your muscles strong and help them recover after exertion.