Go for protein-rich breakfast for a healthy day

Start your day with a high-protein breakfast to better control hunger, improve appetite ratings and consume fewer calories during lunch, a study suggested.

People who ate higher-protein breakfasts had improved appetite ratings throughout the morning, and they also consumed fewer calories during lunch, compared with the lower-protein cereal and pancake and syrup breakfasts, or no breakfast at all.

"Protein is top of mind, but consumers should be more informed about how much protein they need at each meal occasion so they can maximise benefits, like hunger control," Kristin Harris, head of nutrition research at Hillshire Brands, a leader in branded foods, was quoted as saying.

Choose an optimal amount of protein at breakfast to maximise its benefits, the study recommended.

"There is great value in understanding protein's true power when optimal amounts are consumed," Harris noted.

For the study, researchers tested the short-term satiety effects of six breakfast meals similar in calories, fat and fiber and varied in protein.

Another study found that a commercially prepared sausage and egg breakfast containing 39 grams of protein better stabilised blood glucose levels after eating when compared to a commercially prepared sausage and egg breakfast containing 30 grams of protein and a pancake and syrup breakfast containing three grams of protein.