Your breakfast sets the tone for your day, let alone gaining muscle. A meal rich in protein, some carbs and healthy fats can help you fuel workouts, aid recovery, and promote muscle growth. Here’s a guide to nutritious and delicious breakfast options that will support your muscle-building goals, complete with their macronutrient breakdown.
1. Eggs in Various Styles
Eggs are an excellent breakfast choice because they provide high-quality protein, healthy fats and essential nutrients that kickstart your day with sustained energy. For gaining building, their great balance in essential amino acids and vitamins supports muscle repair and growth, making them a valuable addition to any fitness regimen.
Here are some breakfast variations with eggs:
Eggs on Toast
Boil your eggs, slice them, and put them on your toast. Add butter to your toast if desired. Or you could make an omelette sandwich instead! Remember that the less bread you use, the more stomach space you’ll have for more eggs, hence you’ll get in more protein.
- Protein: 15g
- 3 eggs
- Carbs: 30g
- 2 toasts
- Calories: 370
Cheese and Mushroom Omelette
Cheese gives you extra protein and mushrooms your nutrients. Consider having a slice of toast on the side if you wish.
- Protein: 20g
- 3 eggs, some cheddar cheese
- Carbs: 15g
- 1 toast
- Calories: 300
Plain Boiled Eggs
- Protein: 20g
- 4 eggs
- Carbs: 2g
- Calories: 210
Vegetable Omelette
- Protein: 15g
- 3 eggs
- Carbs: 15g
- Bell peppers & onions
- Calories: 250
Overview: Eggs are a versatile and high-quality protein source. They also offer essential vitamins and minerals. Combining them with vegetables or cheese boosts their nutritional profile, providing a balanced mix of protein, healthy fats, and some carbs. Note that the size of your egg affects the protein number. I’m using regular eggs as an example and rounded it down to 5g.
2. Sheet Pan Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bake
Adjust your portion size to meet your needs, but here are the macros of a typical serving size:
- Protein: 17g
- Carbs: 27g
- Calories: 370
Sheet Pan Breakfast with Sausage, Eggs and Potatoes – Girl Gone Gourmet
Overview: This breakfast bake combines sausage with eggs and vegetables, offering a substantial protein boost for gaining muscle along with healthy fats and carbs. It’s a hearty option ideal for meal prepping. The type of sausage and cheese you use will affect the macros. Make it in bulk and save it for another day!
3. French Toast
Adjust your portion size to meet your needs, but here are the macros of a typical serving size:
- Protein: 11g
- Carbs: 39g
- Calories: 236
Easy French Toast Recipe – Spend With Pennies
Overview: French toast provides a good dose of carbs for energy.
4. Berry Yoghurt Bowl (with granola)
Adjust your portion size to meet your needs, but here are the macros of a typical serving size:
- Protein: 22g
- Carbs: 50g
- Calories: 430
Recommended ingredients: Full-fat Greek yoghurt, berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), granola, honey.
Overview: A berry yoghurt bowl combines Greek yoghurt with fresh berries, offering a great mix of protein, antioxidants, and carbs. It’s a lighter option that’s still packed with nutrients.
5. Smoothies
Berry Almond Smoothie
- Protein: 3g
- Carbs: 16g
- Calories: 100
Berry Smoothie With Almond Milk – Sweet As Honey
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
- Protein: 17g
- Carbs: 46g
- Calories: 440
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Recipe (simplyrecipes.com)
Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
- Protein: 12g
- Carbs: 70g
- Calories: 390
Chocolate Cherry Smoothie {Thick + Creamy} – Eating Bird Food
Overview: Smoothies are an excellent way to get a protein boost along with a serving of fruits and nuts. They are also versatile, allowing you to mix and match ingredients to fit your taste and nutritional needs. Since they don’t take up much stomach space, you can consume more to maximise your protein intake for gaining muscle.
6. Granola Bowl
Adjust your portion size to meet your needs, but here are the macros of a typical serving size:
- Protein: 10g
- Carbs: 50g
- Calories: 400
Recommended ingredients: Granola, milk, nuts, and seeds.
Overview: Granola is a fantastic source of carbs and fibre, especially when paired with yoghurt or milk. For added protein, consider topping it with nuts or seeds.
7. Protein Pancakes
Adjust your portion size to meet your needs, but here are the macros of a typical serving size:
- Protein: 23g
- Carbs: 17g
- Calories: 200
Light & Fluffy Banana Protein Pancakes – Low-Carb Breakfast (thecreativebite.com)
Overview: Protein pancakes are a delicious way to increase your protein intake while enjoying a classic breakfast favourite. They provide a balance of protein and carbs to help fuel your day and support muscle recovery.
8. Egg and Bacon Wrap (with Cheese)
Adjust your portion size to meet your needs, but here are the macros of a typical serving size:
- Protein: 25g
- Carbs: 15g
- Calories: 400
Bacon Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burrito [Video] – Sweet and Savory Meals
The egg and bacon wrap delivers a significant amount of protein and fats. Adding cheese increases the protein content and enhances flavour.
Takeaway
Each of these breakfasts provides a well-rounded mix of protein, carbs, and calories, helping you to meet your muscle-gaining goals. By incorporating these options into your diet, you can ensure that your mornings are not only delicious but also packed with the nutrients your body needs to build and repair muscle effectively.
Make sure you work out very hard and push your body close to its limits so you create more micro-tears, meaning more to be rebuilt resulting in larger muscles.
Everyone is different, and a portion size may not be enough for others. So prepare your breakfast according to your needs and not the fixed “portion sizes”. Only use them as a macronutrient guide.
