What you need to do
For your first meal of the day, eat something with at least 30 grams of protein. Make your own or pick from the list. That is the whole challenge.
Options that work
- Greek yogurt (1 cup) with 2 eggs on the side: about 33 g
- Cottage cheese (1 cup) with berries and a spoon of granola: about 28 g, add a scoop of whey to reach 45
- 3-egg omelet with 2 chicken sausages: about 36 g
- Protein oats: oats cooked in milk with a scoop of protein powder stirred in: about 35 g
- A shake: 1 scoop whey in milk plus a banana: about 33 g
- Leftover dinner. Chicken and rice at 7 a.m. is allowed and it works: about 40 g
- Tofu scramble (6 oz firm tofu) with a slice of whole-grain toast and peanut butter: about 27 g, add soy milk to reach 30
Tip for success
Make it the same thing every morning. Deciding is the hard part; repeating is easy. Batch a tray of egg bites on Sunday and breakfast is solved for the week.
Part of the fundamental Protein first.
Why this works
Breakfast is where most people fall short. Older Americans eat small protein breakfasts and put more than half the day's protein into one meal [11]. Older muscle needs about 0.4 g per kilogram at a sitting to switch on muscle building, roughly 25 to 30 grams [7], and spreading protein across the day raised 24-hour muscle building about 25% compared with loading it into dinner [8]. Protein at breakfast is also the most filling way to start; on a 30% protein diet people cut 441 calories a day without being asked to [42].
Sources
- Berner 2013, J Acad Nutr Diet. Older Americans eat small protein breakfasts and pile more than half the day's protein into one meal. Breakfast is where the shortfall lives.
- Moore 2015, J Gerontol A. Older adults need about 0.40 g/kg of protein at a meal to fully switch on muscle building, versus 0.24 in the young. That is the reason for a 25 to 40 g floor per meal.
- Mamerow 2014, J Nutr. Spreading 90 g of protein evenly across three meals raised 24-hour muscle protein synthesis about 25% compared with loading it into dinner.
- Weigle 2005, Am J Clin Nutr. Raising protein from 15% to 30% of calories, with people eating as much as they liked, cut intake by 441 calories a day and lost 4.9 kg in 12 weeks.
The fridge version
One line, seven boxes. Print it and put it where you eat.
Start with protein · one week
30 grams at your first meal, seven days running.
Tip: Make it the same thing every morning. Deciding is the hard part; repeating is easy. Batch a tray of egg bites on Sunday and breakfast is solved for the week.