Oatmeal can provide an extremely healthy start to the day and provides numerous important nutrients, as well as a significant amount of protein. However, in terms of satiety and cardiovascular health, a breakfast with an even higher protein content could offer significant advantages.
Oat flakes already have a relatively high vegetable protein content and they also contain a particularly high amount of fiber as well as important vitamins and minerals. The oatmeal breakfast can significantly improve the quality of children’s nutrition, researchers report in the specialist magazine “Nutrients”.
Protein for breakfast
But in comparison, a breakfast with an even higher protein intake – for example with scrambled eggs for breakfast – seems to offer further benefits, especially for satiety and cardiovascular health.
So a research team led by Prof. Dr. Tanja Kral from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing concluded in a study in 2016 that a breakfast with a particularly high protein content (scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, diced peaches and milk) keeps children full longer than muesli or oatmeal.
At lunch, an average of 70 fewer calories were consumed after the protein-rich breakfast, which corresponded to around four percent of the total calorie intake during the day, the researchers report. This reduction could certainly contribute to the prevention of overweight and obesity.
Improved satiety
Although the consumption of eggs in particular has been associated with negative effects on cholesterol levels in the past, a study from 2017, for example, shows that eating two eggs per day does not change the ratio of unhealthy LDL cholesterol and healthy HDL cholesterol.
At the same time, however, the two eggs achieved a significantly improved feeling of satiety during the day in a young, healthy population compared to an oatmeal breakfast, the researchers report.
Among other things, the blood levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin fell significantly, which seems to confirm the previously mentioned potential effect against overweight and obesity.
Cardiovascular health benefits
In another 2021 study, a US research team linked higher protein intake at breakfast and snacks to significant cardiovascular health benefits in adults.
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“In adults, protein consumption at breakfast is inversely related to systolic and diastolic blood pressure and positively related to HDL cholesterol,” the researchers report. In addition, regular consumption of a protein-rich breakfast also seems to have positive effects on insulin levels and insulin resistance, which could prevent diabetes.
Overall, a high protein intake at breakfast seems particularly beneficial. If you want to increase the protein content of your breakfast but avoid eggs, you can use low-fat quark and nuts, among other things.
For example, cashews, almonds and walnuts contain a particularly high amount of protein and they can also be combined well with oat flakes, making them an even more protein-rich breakfast. (fp)
