Protein Power: What to Eat for Breakfast for a Healthier Diet

Eating breakfast is important, but exactly what you eat at breakfast can also have an impact on your health. Scientists have found that choosing an optimal amount of protein at breakfast may deliver far more benefits than choosing a less protein-rich option.

"There is great value in understanding protein's true power when optimal amounts are consumed," said Kristin Harris, head of nutrition research at Hillshire Brands, in a news release. "Protein is top of mind, but consumers should be more informed about how much protein they need at each meal occasion so they can maximize benefits, like hunger control."

In this case, the researchers tested the short-term satiety effects of six breakfast meals similar in calories fat and fiber and varied in protein. The meals were three turkey-sausage and egg-based breakfast bowls containing 40, 23 and nine grams of protein, a cereal and milk breakfast with eight grams of protein, a pancake and syrup breakfast with three grams, or no breakfast. The participants were then served a pasta dish for lunch and then asked to eat until they felt comfortably full.

So what did they find? It turns out that participants who ate the higher-protein breakfasts consumed fewer calories at lunch when they ate the pasta. Not only that, but they felt fuller for longer in between meals.

The findings reveal that eating protein at breakfast can help with appetite control. Not only that, but it could help with diet since people were less likely to eat more calories at lunch when they had a protein-filled breakfast. So when you're thinking about what do eat for breakfast, don't go with the pancakes. Instead, consider having a protein-filled meal in order to feel fuller for longer-and to potentially help with a healthier diet.

The findings are published in the journal Experimental Biology.