Protein supports your muscles, bones, and various metabolic functions like digestion. Adequate protein can stabilize your blood sugar levels and help keep you full for longer.

Carbohydrates can provide essential dietary fiber to support your gut health and regular bowel movements. Your body breaks carbohydrates down into sugars, including glucose, for energy to support body functions and help your brain stay focused, calm, and active.

Both protein and carbohydrates are essential macronutrients and provide ample benefits, but there is often a debate about which is the best to eat at the start of your day.

The Case for Protein

While you should aim to distribute your daily protein intake evenly throughout the day, ensuring you start your day with plenty of protein is key. Depending on your personal needs, eating 20-30 grams of protein at breakfast is a good place to start. 

Research on older adults suggests that morning is the optimal time to reap protein’s muscle-maximizing benefits, supporting mobility and strength.

The Case for Carbs

Complex carbohydrates come from whole, unprocessed plant foods. These carbs provide plenty of beneficial phyto- (plant) nutrients to support your body’s various needs. In comparison, simple carbohydrates—like white bread and refined cereal—generally lack nutrients and rapidly convert to sugars in the body, increasing the likelihood of blood sugar spikes.

Consuming complex carbohydrates in the morning fuels your brain and body with its preferred source of energy (glucose) and provides beneficial dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important for maximizing gut health and keeping your bowel movements regular.

Some studies suggest that insulin sensitivity is higher in the morning, meaning your body may process carbohydrates more efficiently earlier in the day. This means your body is generally more responsive to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugars by helping glucose sugars enter your cells for energy.

The Case for Including Both

Consuming protein with carbohydrates can help stabilize blood sugar levels after eating, keeping your energy more consistent and reducing cravings.

Eating more food at breakfast and less food at dinner is also better suited for your circadian rhythm, or your natural sleep-wake cycle. This can help support stable blood sugars, improve lipid levels, and reduce cravings.

One study on older adults with obesity suggests that a breakfast rich in quality protein and carbohydrates can decrease appetite and cravings and reduce ghrelin (an appetite-stimulating hormone) levels after eating.

Choosing a high-protein breakfast with heart-healthy (complex) carbohydrates can provide the balance you need to start your day.

Protein has many roles in the body, including producing enzymes, supporting digestion, and building and repairing muscle. However, protein’s benefits can extend even further.

A high-protein breakfast can keep you feeling full and energized for longer, so you can make it to lunch without feeling hungry between meals. Protein also supports blood sugar control. Unlike carbohydrates, protein typically has no effect on blood sugars. (Excessive protein—over 75 grams at once—might cause a delayed effect on blood sugar levels.)

Consuming protein alone or pairing it with carbohydrates promotes steady blood sugar levels, preventing sharp spikes that can lead to sudden crashes, often followed by cravings.

High-protein diets can help support weight management by improving satiety (feelings of fullness) and lessening cravings.

Eating a moderate- or high-carb breakfast may be beneficial if you plan to exercise in the morning. Your body needs glucose-derived energy to sustain itself through the physical demands of a workout and prevent energy depletion.

For high-intensity training, eating a carb-centric breakfast up to 3-4 hours before your workout is optimal to prevent digestive issues. Planning ahead can be helpful, such as preparing overnight oats with fresh berries to load up on energy-producing carbohydrates and recovery-boosting antioxidants.

Aim for less carbs if you know you’ll be less active. Besides supporting physical activity needs, some benefits of eating carbohydrates at breakfast include:

• Improved stress regulation
• Enhanced mood
• Boosted metabolism (i.e., burning energy efficiently instead of storing it as fat)
• Improved digestion

Like protein, spreading your carbohydrate intake evenly throughout the day is generally best for blood sugar control. However, athletes often carb-load in timing with their training to support energy and athletic performance.

Most people can benefit from at least 20-30 grams of protein at breakfast. However, individual needs can vary. Some people can benefit from eating as much as 40 grams of protein at breakfast.

High-quality breakfast proteins such as cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and eggs can provide optimal benefits. Some cultures enjoy grilled fish (another high-quality protein) as a part of their breakfast meal. You can also enjoy plant-derived proteins like quinoa, tofu, and beans. One popular plant protein is soy milk, which delivers as much protein as cow’s milk.

Your body is better at utilizing proteins eaten at breakfast than proteins eaten at lunch or dinner. Eating more protein at breakfast may enhance muscle tone and integrity.

You can incorporate a variety of high-protein foods into flavorful and nutritious breakfast meals. Consider pairing your high-protein breakfast with some complex carbohydrates, like whole-grain toast. Here are a few breakfast ideas:

Cottage Cheese with Fresh Kiwi: Start with a cup of cottage cheese (24 grams of protein), top with a sliced medium kiwi (10.5 grams of carbs; 0.75 grams of protein), and sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of cashews (2.5 grams of protein). This breakfast provides 27 grams of satiating protein and includes heart-healthy carbs.

Power Protein Smoothie: Combine 1 cup of milk (8 grams of protein), 40 grams of whey protein powder (26 grams of protein), 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (8 grams of protein), and 1 cup of frozen strawberries (about 1 gram of protein; 10 grams of carbs). This amounts to 34 grams of quality protein.

Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Tomatoes: Crumble ½ cup of firm tofu (21.8 grams of protein) and pan-fry it with 1 cup of raw spinach, and a few sliced grape tomatoes for a boost of vitamin C. Season with garlic, a hint of turmeric, and salt. Serve with sprouted whole grain toast (2.5 grams of protein; 13 grams of carbs) and ½ cup of mixed berries (18.7 grams of carbohydrates). This simple scramble provides about 25 grams of protein.

You can benefit from including both protein and carbs at breakfast. A high-protein breakfast is generally optimal to sustain you through the morning, stabilize your blood sugars, and maximize muscle integrity. Your body may also use carbs more efficiently earlier in the day—which can help reduce cravings and promote better weight control.

For a balanced start to the day, focus on getting about 30 grams of protein for breakfast and include some fiber-rich carbohydrates.