Today I will share with you five healthy low calorie sample breakfast menus. I’ve chosen these because they provide a good source of dietary fiber and protein as well as other essential nutrients for less than 350 calories. With a little advance planning these breakfasts can be ready to eat in minutes.

In part one of this article I talked about the importance of getting enough protein and dietary fiber for breakfast. And I provided you with resources to determine how much protein you need as an individual. Although 60 grams of protein per day will not be an exact amount for you, it is an average amount needed by most women on a 1200 calorie diet. To determine how much protein you need for a 1500 calorie diet (or other level) I would encourage you read Part 1 if you have not done so already.

What struck me as I did a little research online to come up with some additional ideas for breakfast is that this information is not readily available. Well-balanced nutritious breakfasts with plenty of protein and fiber for less than 350 calories are hard to find. I am referring to meals without any added protein or fiber supplements. To test my ideas for meal ideas and nutritional balance, I use the database and system at myfooddiary.com.

What is a good protein content for a healthy breakfast on a low calorie diet? There is no set answer because it depends on your situation. For a 1200 calorie diet, I would say if you can obtain 14 grams of protein or more and still have enough fiber and other essential nutrients, that’s good! How much is enough fiber? See if you can obtain at least 5 grams of dietary fiber or more.

[The recommended amount of dietary fiber for women 19 to 50 years of age is 25 grams of fiber a day. For women 51 or older it is 21 grams per day.]

Image via Wikipedia All of the breakfast ideas can be ready to eat in minutes. However, some of the menus will require a little advance cooking and or planning. I recommend setting aside some time over the weekend or whenever it works for you to prepare some of the food ahead of time and then have it ready to eat for the rest of the week. Foods that can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated include hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, and muffins (make up a large batch of muffins and freeze).

5 Low Calorie Sample Breakfasts with Plenty of Protein and Dietary Fiber

Breakfast 1

Top 2 halves of a multi-grain english muffin with low fat cottage cheese and sliced fresh strawberries. Eat along with one hard-boiled egg.

1 English Muffin (100 calories, Light Multi-Grain by Thomas)

1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (1% milkfat)

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

1 hard-boiled egg

calories: 306
protein: 28.3 grams
dietary fiber: 11 grams
calcium: 264 mg
Vitamin C: 89.4 mg

Breakfast 2

A waffle spread with a peanut butter and yogurt mix served with 4 ounces of skim milk and a kiwi fruit

1 Nutri-grain lowfat waffle (71 calories, Eggo)

1/4 plain lowfat yogurt

1 Tbsp. peanut butter

4 oz. skim milk

1 kiwi fruit

calories: 299
protein: 14.0 grams
dietary fiber: 5 grams
calcium: 274 mg
Vitamin C: 84.9 mg

Breakfast 3

Oatmeal with skim milk and a whole orange.

1/2 cup Naturally Sweetened Oatmeal (226 calories)

4 oz. skim milk

1 medium orange

calories: 325
protein: 14.5 grams
dietary fiber: 7.3 grams
calcium: 301 mg
vitamin C: 59.9 mg

Breakfast 4

A six ounce low fat vanilla yogurt served with a low fat blueberry bran muffin, a kiwi fruit, and a few almonds.

1 six ounce Light ‘n Fit Creamy French Vanilla (Dannon)

1 Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffin (125 calories, Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffins)

1 kiwi fruit

6 almonds

calories: 316
protein: 14.1 grams
dietary fiber: 8 grams
calcium: 313 mg
Vitamin C: 85.7 mg

Breakfast 5

Cottage cheese topped with blueberries and a touch of real maple syrup drizzled on top. Eat along with a low calorie oat bran muffin.

1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (1% milkfat)

1/2 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp. real maple syrup

1 low calorie oat bran muffin (178 calories)

calories: 348
protein: 19.2 grams
dietary fiber: 4.8 grams
calcium: 130 mg
Vitamin C: 6.9 mg

Note: See how this breakfast combination is low in calcium and vitamin C but otherwise a healthy choice? When choosing this you will want to be sure to have good sources of these nutrients later in the day. How about a low fat yogurt or piece of cheese for more calcium with a mid-morning snack? Or a piece of fruit or juice for Vitamin C?

Always remember to get plenty of water each day. Add a glass of water or unsweetened tea or coffee to round out each breakfast meal.

Try one or more of these breakfast suggestions. See if the dietary fiber and protein along with other nutrients help you fill up and stay satisfied longer (not hungry) than say just a bowl of cereal with skim milk and orange juice. With just a little advance planning these breakfasts can be ready to eat just as quickly. And you may find them to be more satisfying.

Hope this helps!

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