Healthy Monday:The Biggest Breakfast Mistake You're Are Probably Making

You know by now that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that if you don’t put something in your stomach, it will be moaning at you by noon.

But not all breakfasts were created equal. Even if you’re eating something seemingly healthy in the a.m.—avocado toast, a granola bar, a piece of fruit—it’s probably not giving you the boost you’ll need to face the day.

“No matter what meal it is, your plate should be half fruits and vegetables, a quarter whole grain, and a quarter protein,” says Krista Yoder Latortue, M.P.H., R.D. It’s the protein portion you’ve really got to pay attention to, though—and the one you’re likely forgetting.

The protein doesn’t just provide the fuel to help you leave the house.

“If you just have carbs at breakfast, your metabolism is off for the whole day,” says Yoder Latortu.

“How hungry you feel is based off two factors: how much you eat and what you eat. If you don’t eat protein at breakfast, you’re going into lunch feeling ravenous. When you’re ravenous, you make poorer choices.”

There's another reason skimping on protein at breakfast hurts you, too: Since your system can only utilise 30g at a time, if you don't have enough of this nutrient in the a.m., it can hard to be take in enough throughout the rest of the day.

Most women need about 80 to 100 grams of protein a day, although the exact amount you should be getting depends on your weight and activity level, says Yoder Latortue.

You don't have to eat a hearty breakfast of steak and eggs to take in enough protein. “It could be eggs and cheese with fruit on the side,” says Yoder Latortue.

Keep in mind that your best bet is aiming to get all your protein needs from your food, not a powder.

“The obvious sources are from animals, so chicken, beef, turkey, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt,” says Yoder Latortue. But consider plant-based sources, too, like beans, nuts, and seeds.