Research update on protein at breakfast (important for vegetarians)

December 11, 2024 Stan

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Welcome to the 38th episode of Vegetarian Health and Longevity from Hurry The Food Up and Sports Nutritionist James LeBaigue.

I have always had a blanket statement when it comes to eating protein at breakfast:

Consuming at least 20g of protein at breakfast is crucial.

My rationale behind this is that a high-protein breakfast helps you feel fuller for longer, provides a source of nutrients for your body to repair and grow muscle tissue, and helps you manage cravings later in the day.

But my blanket statement isn’t necessarily the case now—there’s more nuance to it.

In today’s episode, I’ll go through some of the latest research that throws more light on this subject, aaaand perhaps, more questions.

But by the end of it, you’ll know whether focusing on protein intake at breakfast is something that you really need to do, or whether it’s actually another diet trend that doesn’t have any substance to it.

You can find it on YouTube below or you can listen to it here on your favourite provider.

If you missed last week’s episode on the biggest threat to longevity then you can listen to or read it here.

I love reading research that makes me question my previously held beliefs.

Protein timing has been a hot topic in nutrition, particularly for those looking to get stronger, fitter, and stay in better shape. A recent literature review revisited the importance of consuming protein at breakfast and its effects on muscle strength and mass.

While the takeaway from this review might initially suggest that a high-protein breakfast is important, the reality—when we dig deeper—is more subtle.

This could change how we think about planning meals for most people, and especially vegetarians who might struggle to meet their protein targets.

Before I had started my masters in nutrition and learned the complexities of it, I didn’t really think about food in much detail.

I’d heard about protein intake being important, and thought I should probably ensure I eat it regularly. But I didn’t know much about what the best sources of protein were, and especially so at breakfast.

I had heard that 20 grams of protein was a magic number to aim for, and I tried to hit that. Sometimes it was easy. Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast? No sweat.

Other times though, it wasn’t such a breeze. If I wanted cereal or peanut butter on toast, because let’s face it we don’t want scrambled eggs everyday, it became much more of a challenge.

This also meant that some days I felt like I had nailed it, and felt really positive about my early choices.

Other days I felt like I failed at starting the day properly because I hadn’t hit my protein goals, and that’s kind of a sucky way to start.

Fast forward to now, and my opinion is slowly changing on how important protein is at breakfast, and this is thanks to new research that is uncovering new data.

For people consuming enough protein overall, the importance of a high-protein breakfast might not be as critical as we once thought.

For me, and the 1:1 clients I work with, this is quite a freeing thought because it takes some of the pressure off and opens up food choices throughout the day.

What does the science say?

The research in question was a scoping review of the literature. This means it was a preliminary look into what is available and attempting to draw conclusions from it.

The review examined 15 trials spanning observational and randomised controlled designs which specifically addressed the question of whether more protein at breakfast had an impact on muscle mass and strength.

The takeaway? Higher protein intake at breakfast was linked with increased muscle mass but didn’t directly translate to greater strength.

They advised that more research was needed to truly understand this and its implications, but that more protein at breakfast seemed to help maintain muscle mass. This is likely beneficial regardless of the outcome of strength because increased muscle mass is a healthy goal for the general population.

But I mentioned there’s more nuance to this scoping review. The big thing to highlight is that the researchers used the Recommended daily amount of 0.8g of protein/kg/day as the baseline target.

For anyone, that’s the bare minimum to avoid a protein deficiency. I would advocate at least 1.4g of protein per kg of body weight, whether you’re just trying to be fit and healthy, lose weight or are particularly active.

So we’ve got this suggestion that breakfast is important, but in the context of investigating those who are already at risk of being on the low side with their protein intake.

So then, that’s where another key study comes in. A study called “The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans” investigated whether there’s a ceiling for how much protein your body can utilise after exercise.

The suggestion was that there’s no upper limit. You can consume a significant portion of your daily protein in one meal and still benefit from it.

However, I should say that this is specifically related to eating after exercise because this activates the pathways to creating new muscle tissue.

This finding challenges the traditional advice of evenly spacing protein across meals. If you’re meeting your overall protein needs, it seems there’s more flexibility in how you distribute it than I used to think.

Imagine your daily protein intake as filling a jar with water. If you have plenty of water available, it doesn’t matter much if you pour only a little in at breakfast, as long as you fill it up by the end of the day. But if your supply is limited—like when your total protein intake is just scraping by—every drop counts.

Skipping a significant amount at breakfast could leave your jar far from full, which is going to have a negative effect overall.

The Appetite Connection

However, it’s not as simple as saying you don’t need to worry about protein at breakfast because it also depends on your overall goals.

For example, another study called “Macronutrient (im)balance drives energy intake in anobesogenic food environment: An ecological analysis” found that eating more protein at breakfast reduce food intake later in the day.

This could be a game-changer for anyone working on weight loss or calorie balance. Feeling fuller for longer means less temptation to snack or overeat later, meaning you can control your calories better.

So, while protein at breakfast may not be crucial for muscle growth or exercise recovery if you’re meeting your daily target, it can still support other goals, like weight management.

Vegetarian-Specific Challenges

Getting enough protein at breakfast can be tricky, especially for vegetarians. While lunch and dinner offer opportunities for hearty protein sources like tofu, lentils, or beans, breakfast options are traditionally lighter.

This flexibility means you don’t have to force a 20-gram protein breakfast every day.

Instead, you can focus on hitting your daily target in a way that fits your preferences and lifestyle, as long as you are still exercising regularly to activate those pathways and enough total protein.

But for vegetarians struggling to meet their goals or who want to bump up their protein intake, breakfast remains a valuable opportunity to do this.

Additionally, it’s a perfect time to use higher-protein foods for those who are trying to lose weight.

If that’s you, then we can help you with TVPF. We use high protein, tasty vegetarian recipes to help you meet your protein needs, and you can try out a free week’s weight loss meal plan at hurrythefoodup.com/try. It comes with a grocery list and easy-to-make recipes with step by step instructions.

Summary

Here’s where I land: If you’re meeting your overall protein needs—1.4–2.2g/kg/day—then it’s okay to have a lighter protein breakfast. You don’t need to ensure that you’re hitting 20g of protein at breakfast, every day.

But if you struggle to meet those targets, breakfast can be a great opportunity to give yourself a head start.

It’s also worth remembering what your overall goals are and how protein might tie into this, for example if you’re trying to lose weight, but remember that you’ve got some flexibility.

So, tomorrow morning, whether you’re going for scrambled eggs, overnight oats or just a slice of toast, know that you’ve got more options than you think.

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And finally, here is the easiest way to sign up to try our meal plans (free).

And a list of our vegetarian meal plans (also all free).

And finally finally: More vegetarian podcasts this way!