Protein is an essential macronutrient for our body, something that we should consume every day at every single meal – breakfast and snack included.
In practice, I very often see people creating their dishes with a little understanding of what their body actually needs.
Especially the field of skin & gut health, protein must be present as it’s the building block of our tissues – skin tissue, gut tissue, muscles and so on.
Having a high protein breakfast is the best way to start the day right by nourishing your skin & gut, and avoiding an unbalanced glucose curve from a sugary breakfast – a high sugar meal with little to no fibre and protein can cause a spike in blood sugar which creates a myriad of different symptoms, from eczema flares to anxiety.
Some easy high protein breakfast options are:
- Eggs on toast with a side salad
- Flat sandwich with hummus or cheese and fresh vegetables
- Homemade no-sugar pancakes, savoury or with a mashed banana & cinnamon
- Low-sugar (fructose) porridge with nuts, seeds and one portion of fresh fruit (green apple, 1 cup berries, 1 kiwi…)
- Full fat yogurt with berries and low sugar granola (homemade is best, if shop-bought always make sure the sugars are lower than 15g/100g)
- Fruit & veg smoothie with protein powder (pea, rice, whey…)
However, some of my clients –especially the ones from Italy– are stuck in their “sweet pastry breakfast mindset”, therefore I created this recipe to give them an option which is high in protein and seems sweet.
RECIPE for 7 cupcakes
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup yogurt (full fat)
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup flour (I used gluten-free white flour by Freee)
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup hemp flour
- 1/4 cup pea protein
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 cup milk or vegetable milk
- 1/2 cup berries or half sliced apple
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- sesame seeds or almond flakes for garnishing
PROCEDURE
- Preheat the oven at 180°C
- Mix the egg, yogurt, butter, maple syrup
- Add all the different flours, spices, salt and milk and mix thoroughly
- Pour the milk and the berries
- Transfer the batter in muffin/cupcake moulds (I used silicone ones)
- Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes
- Serve with your morning coffee, a herbal tea or a vegetable juice
You can find the video on my Instagram account @cromonutrition