Hey friends! Happy Tuesday! I’m very excited about today’s Grapefruit & Granola Podcast episode because I had the chance to speak with Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club. Incorporating protein at breakfast sets us ladies up for success throughout the day, and not eating enough protein at breakfast is one of the most common mistakes women make in their diets.
Enjoy this Episode!
Show Notes- Tips for Adding Protein to Breakfast (Ep 9: Grapefruit and Granola Podcast)
Lauren shares information about herself and her thoughts about dieting. Her specialty is weight management and pre-diabetes. She believes that diets set people up to fail. Nutrition recommendations need to meet people where they are because no one thing works for everyone. She’s not a fan of specific diet plans. Making nutrition changes is not about losing weight and she thinks you need to be kind to yourself and accept your body! It’s about health indicators more than the numbers on the scale.
About the book
- Lauren is a self-proclaimed breakfast super-fan
- One of the most common questions she’s asked is what to eat for breakfast
- Book isn’t a way to add more protein – it helps with ways to distribute it more evenly through the day
The importance of protein at breakfast
- People get enough protein throughout the day but not at breakfast
- Protein needs to be distributed evenly through the day to maximize use for muscle growth and repair
- Can’t double up at dinner to make up for skipping at breakfast
- Body can only use 25-30 grams at a time, so more isn’t necessarily better
- We lose muscle every year as we age after a certain point, so getting enough protein at the right times throughout the day can help slow that
How much protein is recommended at breakfast?
- Research shows at least 20 g at breakfast with 25-30 g being the most you can utilize at a particular meal
- 20 grams is the equivalent of 3 ounces of chicken, turkey, fish, etc.
- An egg has 6 grams of protein
- 1 oz. of cheese has around 7 grams
- Need to be creative in getting 20 grams at breakfast
- Each recipe in the book has least 20 grams of protein
More about the book and recipes
- Recipe sections
- Oats and oatmeal
- Smoothies and bowls
- Mug cakes, pancakes, French toast and more
- Excellent eggs
- Fun with fruit, ancient grains and cereal
- Savory toast & wraps
- A lot of recipes are gluten-free, most are vegetarian (only one recipe with turkey bacon)
For people with time constraints
- A lot of the recipes can be prepared in advance over the weekend or the night before, most can be left in the fridge all week or can be frozen and defrosted
- Can double or triple a recipe
- Protein pancakes and French toast, for example, can be frozen and microwaved
- Overnight oats
- Muffin tin omelets to last the whole week
Favorite type of oats?
- Old fashioned in a huge container so you don’t have to spend money on a bunch of different kinds
Favorite recipe from the book?
- Can’t choose a favorite but the ones she makes most often are protein cereal bowls and overnight oats
What does research on breakfast show?
- When people eat breakfast on a regular basis, it’s not only a matter of weight
- AHA paper: strong evidence of association between skipping breakfast and cardiometabolic risk (diabetes, HTN, cardiovascular disease)
- Impaired glucose metabolism indicators with skipping breakfast (body controls blood sugar better when you eat breakfast)
- Breakfast foods are high in calcium, vitamin D, potassium and fiber, which are nutrients most people don’t consume in adequate quantities
What do you think of protein shakes at the grocery store?
Lauren prefers eating real food to protein shakes, although says they may be better than eating nothing.
Lauren’s Contact Information
Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN is a nutrition communications specialist, blogger, speaker, spokesperson and registered dietitian in private practice in NJ. She is the founder of Nutrition Starring YOU, LLC where she specializes in weight management and prediabetes. Formerly an obese kid, Lauren dedicates herself to combating the growing adult and childhood obesity epidemic. She holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Nutrition from Penn State and New York University. She is frequently featured in national publications and on several radio shows and podcasts.
- Website: www.NutritionStarringYOU.com
- Facebook Page
- Book: The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club
- Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/laurenpincusrd/
- Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/LaurenPincusRD
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