18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Breakfast Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is a cardiac menu for breakfast? ›

Healthy cardiac breakfast choices include cooked oatmeal or cream of wheat, whole-grain toast, low-fat yogurt or milk, fresh fruit, a vegetable omelette made with egg whites, and low-sodium turkey bacon or sausage.

Probably the easiest way to make sure you're getting close to 20 grams of protein at breakfast is to get two eggs on your plate. Omelets are a great way to make sure you're not only getting the benefits of protein, but also packing in the veggies and fiber you need.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute , the following foods are the best for your heart: Vegetables: such as leafy greens, broccoli, and carrots. Fruits: such as apples, bananas, and oranges. Whole grains: such as plain oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain bread or tortillas.

Many typical breakfast foods, such as eggs, bacon, and pancakes, are high in saturated fats or cholesterol and can raise your risk of heart disease. Therefore, if you have been told to switch to a low-cholesterol diet, you will want to replace foods that are known to raise cholesterol levels with healthier ones.

The good news: Eaten in moderation, eggs can be part of a heart-healthy diet, says Pradeep Natarajan, MD, MMSc, a Mass General Brigham cardiologist and director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“In general, I recommend oatmeal as the best option.” He advises a small cup of oatmeal made with water, not milk or butter, and loaded high with berries, plus additional heart-healthy ingredients such as ground flax seed or a few walnuts.

Two eggs provide 12 grams of protein while three tablespoons of hemp seeds provide 10 grams; together they easily provide one-third of your daily protein needs. Other healthy high-protein breakfast foods include: Low-fat Greek yogurt. Whole wheat bread with nut butter.

Eggs, yogurt and nuts or seeds are great sources of protein. Add vegetables. Greens may not be your go to breakfast option, but there are many ways to incorporate veggies into this meal. Try scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms or an omelet with bell peppers and onions.

Here are a few examples of high-protein breakfasts that can help you lose weight: Scrambled eggs: with veggies, fried in coconut oil or olive oil. An omelette: with cottage cheese and spinach (my personal favorite). Stir-fried tofu: with kale and dairy-free cheese.

The rule includes eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning and then doing 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise.

Is 18g of protein good for breakfast? ›

How Much Protein You Should Eat In The Morning. "Eating 15 to 30 grams of protein at breakfast is a great way to regulate your blood sugar and stay satisfied and focused throughout the morning," reiterates Kelsey Lorencz, RDN, the founder of Eating With Heart Nutrition.

1. Oatmeal. A 44-gram serving of steel-cut oaks packs 4 grams of dietary fiber. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which attaches to LDL cholesterol in your digestive tract and helps remove it from your body.

“Eggs are fine, but limit the total amount to one per day, averaged over a week, without going into extreme excess in one day.” In this article, Dr. Natarajan shares more about the latest research on eggs and cholesterol and how to incorporate eggs into a heart-healthy diet.

The intake of two eggs per day as compared to an oatmeal breakfast promoted a shift in dietary intake patterns, did not lead to an increase in biomarkers associated with CVD, and resulted in both subjective and objective measures of satiety in a healthy population.

Eggs have long been a topic of debate when it comes to healthy eating. But in recent years the consensus from experts has been that although eggs contain cholesterol, it's saturated fat rather than cholesterol that really affects the cholesterol levels in our blood, so it's fine to eat eggs as part of a healthy diet.