3 high-protein breakfasts I prep ahead for better energy and focus — Transcript

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1. 0:00If you want more energy, fewer cravings,
2. 0:02and better health, you need to start
3. 0:04your day with a high-protein, high-fiber
4. 0:06breakfast. But most quick breakfast
5. 0:08options are ultra-processed, high in
6. 0:11sugar, and refined carbohydrates. So,
7. 0:13I'm going to show you three easy,
8. 0:15high-protein breakfasts [music] made
9. 0:17from whole foods that you can prep ahead
10. 0:19and grab and go even on your busiest
11. 0:22mornings. Instead of cereal and granola
12. 0:24bars I used to rely on as a hospital
13. 0:26doctor, I now make overnight oats the
14. 0:28night before. Now, I know some of you
15. 0:30are commenting, "Aren't oats just
16. 0:32sugar?" Not this one. Grab a jar and a
17. 0:35tablespoon and learn this simple base
18. 0:38formula. Rolled jumbo oats. Very
19. 0:41important to get rolled jumbo oats
20. 0:42because they have a lot more structure,
21. 0:44they break down slower, and oats are
22. 0:46phenomenal. They contain beta-glucans,
23. 0:49these soluble fibers that are fantastic
24. 0:51for heart health. But oats alone can
25. 0:53lead to a sugar roller coaster because
26. 0:55they are quite starchy. And that's why
27. 0:57we add flaxseed. Flax are one of my
28. 1:00favorite ingredients in the kitchen.
29. 1:01They contain a mixture of different
30. 1:04fibers and anti-inflammatory compounds
31. 1:06like SDG. This is where we're getting
32. 1:09diversity of fibers in our overnight
33. 1:12oats, not just a single ingredient. And
34. 1:14that is exactly what is going to be
35. 1:15feeding your gut microbes and keeping
36. 1:17them happy. Chia, their superpower are
37. 1:20that they're going to absorb the liquid
38. 1:22and create this gel-like structure on
39. 1:24the inside of your digestive system.
40. 1:26This slows down the absorption of sugars
41. 1:28into the bloodstream and going to keep
42. 1:30your energy levels nice and steady.
43. 1:32They're also super high in protein,
44. 1:34which again is going to reduce your
45. 1:36cravings mid-morning. And talking of
46. 1:37protein, we're going to be adding a
47. 1:39tablespoon of shelled hemp seeds. These
48. 1:42are unique because they have all nine
49. 1:44essential amino acids in good
50. 1:46quantities. So, this is going to be
51. 1:48adding a good amount of protein, but
52. 1:50also fiber as well. This is the
53. 1:52foundation of your overnight oats. If
54. 1:54you remember this 2-2-1-1 formula, you
55. 1:56will not get lost. And now we can have
56. 1:58fun with it, add flavors, and you can
57. 2:00keep it interesting. I'm going to boost
58. 2:02it with more protein coming from cacao.
59. 2:04Cacao is another one of these
60. 2:05ingredients that again has all nine
61. 2:08essential amino acids in good
62. 2:09quantities. Plus, it's got flavanols
63. 2:11that are really good for improving brain
64. 2:14blood flow. And it has this rich,
65. 2:15indulgent, chocolaty flavor, which is
66. 2:17going to be awesome in this. Most
67. 2:19breakfast options and overnight oat
68. 2:21recipes online are low in protein. And
69. 2:24there's something called the protein
70. 2:26leverage hypothesis. This basically
71. 2:29states if you don't have enough protein
72. 2:30at each meal, your body will continue to
73. 2:33send you hunger signals. When you eat
74. 2:35enough, you cease those signals and you
75. 2:37feel fuller for longer. So, that's why
76. 2:39I'm adding a little bit of a protein
77. 2:41boost in the form of protein powder.
78. 2:43Now, this is completely optional. You
79. 2:45can use an unflavored plant-based
80. 2:47protein or an unflavored whey protein.
81. 2:50Just make sure both are organic. And the
82. 2:52crucial difference here is that we are
83. 2:54pairing this protein powder with whole
84. 2:56foods. Very different to a simple
85. 2:58protein shake. We're going to add
86. 2:59spices, not just for flavor, but we're
87. 3:02adding polyphenols at every step like
88. 3:04cinnamon that contains cinnamaldehyde
89. 3:07that may be good for blood sugar
90. 3:08regulation as well, which again is going
91. 3:10to help with satiety and how you feel
92. 3:13throughout the day. Another
93. 3:14anti-inflammatory spice is turmeric. I
94. 3:16know what you're thinking, you're not
95. 3:18going to be able to taste it. We're
96. 3:19using just a pinch for its
97. 3:21anti-inflammatory benefits, not
98. 3:23necessarily the color. It's just going
99. 3:25to be working its magic in the
100. 3:26background. It's one of the most highly
101. 3:29researched spices we have for lowering
102. 3:31inflammation, which is why we see
103. 3:32benefits for joint pain and stiffness in
104. 3:34trials. I'm going to mix all the
105. 3:36ingredients together before I add the
106. 3:38liquid and sweetener. The good thing is
107. 3:40it takes as much time to make one as it
108. 3:42does three. So, you've got three
109. 3:44breakfasts for the week. My top tip for
110. 3:46overnight oats is to use dried fruit for
111. 3:48sweetness. This way you're getting a
112. 3:50little bit more texture, a little bit
113. 3:51more fiber, and some marginal extra
114. 3:54benefits from the antioxidants and the
115. 3:55polyphenols that you find in things like
116. 3:57dried prunes, dried figs, dates. You've
117. 4:00got two options here. You could either
118. 4:01use water as your liquid. This way it
119. 4:04keeps the energy density of your
120. 4:06breakfast low or milk that gives you a
121. 4:09little bit extra protein and creaminess.
122. 4:11A lot of people ask me about
123. 4:12anti-nutrients in grains, nuts, and
124. 4:15seeds. And the good thing about soaking
125. 4:17is that actually breaks down some of
126. 4:18these compounds, making them easier to
127. 4:21digest. I'm going to pop the lids on.
128. 4:22These will soak overnight, but they will
129. 4:24last for at least 3 days. So, I've got
130. 4:26breakfast sorted for half the week in
131. 4:28under 5 minutes. This is a lifesaver in
132. 4:30the morning. I'll just grab one from the
133. 4:32fridge and I'll top it with pumpkin
134. 4:34seeds for extra crunch and a bit more
135. 4:36protein and berries for extra fiber and
136. 4:39polyphenols. When you build a breakfast
137. 4:41around protein and fiber-rich [music]
138. 4:42whole foods, you're setting your day up
139. 4:44for success. But I'm not having oats
140. 4:46every day. I like to mix it up with
141. 4:48savory breakfast just like my Tupperware
142. 4:51frittata. So, instead of grabbing pastry
143. 4:53on the go, I'll make my own frittata
144. 4:56that's packed with fiber and protein and
145. 4:59I'll put it in Tupperware so they're
146. 5:01easy to grab and go. Eggs are your core
147. 5:04protein. They're one of the best sources
148. 5:06of complete protein that you can get. A
149. 5:08lot of people worry about cholesterol,
150. 5:10but when you're pairing this with
151. 5:11high-fiber foods, most people don't need
152. 5:13to worry about that. Pop the yolks and
153. 5:15just give these a mix before you start
154. 5:17adding the rest of the ingredients. So,
155. 5:19pinch of salt, crack of pepper. We're
156. 5:21adding more protein by using cottage
157. 5:23cheese. It gives a lovely creamy
158. 5:25richness to the frittata and it's high
159. 5:27in casein, which takes longer to digest
160. 5:30and will keep you fuller for longer.
161. 5:32We're not just going to make our
162. 5:33frittata with high-protein ingredients.
163. 5:35We want to pack in more vegetables
164. 5:37that's going to give us polyphenols and
165. 5:39importantly fiber. Starting off with the
166. 5:42spring onions, they're not just here for
167. 5:43flavor, they contain sulfur compounds
168. 5:46that are anti-inflammatory. You can use
169. 5:48all different sorts of onions or allium
170. 5:51family members. I'm trying to get greens
171. 5:53in at every mealtime, including
172. 5:55breakfast. They contain important
173. 5:57nutrients like magnesium and nitrates
174. 6:00that convert into nitric oxide, which is
175. 6:01important for blood flow, which can
176. 6:03improve memory and cognition. This is
177. 6:06frozen spinach that I've simply thawed
178. 6:08and chopped up. Green frozen peas, again
179. 6:10thawed from frozen. Very simply adding
180. 6:13more fiber and a bit more body to this
181. 6:15frittata. But to boost it ever so
182. 6:18slightly more, we're using milled
183. 6:20flaxseed. You won't taste it at all, but
184. 6:23it will be boosting the fiber of your
185. 6:25entire meal. And for flavor, we're going
186. 6:26to be adding dried oregano. But this is
187. 6:28where you can really have fun with this
188. 6:30recipe. Oregano happens to be one of
189. 6:32those ingredients that is super high in
190. 6:34antioxidants. All right, mix this all
191. 6:36up. Honestly, it won't look the
192. 6:37prettiest at this point, but trust me,
193. 6:39the flavors make it worth it. What I
194. 6:41love about this recipe is that I'm using
195. 6:43Tupperware that can literally go in the
196. 6:45oven. Line your Tupperware with baking
197. 6:47parchment. I have not figured out a hack
198. 6:49to get the parchment into every crevice
199. 6:52of your Tupperware. Simply scrunch it up
200. 6:54and shove it in with your fist. Now,
201. 6:56we're just going to carefully ladle in
202. 6:59this mixture into our Tupperware. Just
203. 7:01think about all the elements we've got
204. 7:02in this frittata. Good quality protein,
205. 7:05soluble fibers. This is the kind of
206. 7:07savory breakfast that is going to keep
207. 7:09you fuller for longer and focused. Grab
208. 7:11a baking sheet, pop your frittata on
209. 7:13top, and these will go in the oven for
210. 7:15around 30 minutes.
211. 7:19These look and smell absolutely
212. 7:22delicious. When they come out of the
213. 7:24oven, they're going to look a bit like a
214. 7:25soufflé. Allow them to cool completely
215. 7:28[music] on a cooling rack. And after
216. 7:29about 10 minutes, you can peel them out
217. 7:31of the parchment paper. They'll keep in
218. 7:33the fridge for at least 3 days. I'll
219. 7:35usually do this on a Sunday and then
220. 7:36switch up my breakfast midweek.
221. 7:38Sometimes I'll have these on their own,
222. 7:39but you can easily pair them with things
223. 7:41like bread, avocado, or even sprouts for
224. 7:44a more complete meal with even more
225. 7:46fiber. And when I'm really in a rush,
226. 7:48I'll simply pop them in between two
227. 7:50sourdough bread slices like a
228. 7:52grab-and-go sandwich. But for the days
229. 7:54where I haven't had any time to prep
230. 7:55whatsoever, I always have an emergency
231. 7:58smoothie pack ready to go in my freezer.
232. 8:01This is sort of like my version of an
233. 8:03emergency meal replacement shake, but
234. 8:06made from whole foods. The ones in the
235. 8:08store look healthy, but they tend to
236. 8:10have additives, lots of sugar, and
237. 8:13they're highly refined. Instead,
238. 8:15pre-portion your ingredients, pop them
239. 8:17into freezer bags, that way they're
240. 8:19ready to go whenever you need them.
241. 8:20We're starting off with greens. Now, you
242. 8:22might be looking at this a bit weird.
243. 8:24Why you putting greens in the smoothie?
244. 8:25But trust me, you won't taste it and
245. 8:28you'll be getting all those benefits of
246. 8:29things like vitamin K, folate,
247. 8:32magnesium, all things that tend to be
248. 8:34lacking in people's diets. Fruits like
249. 8:36frozen banana that added sweetness and
250. 8:39they're going to add some polyphenols as
251. 8:40well. We're also going to use berries
252. 8:42that are going to bring more polyphenols
253. 8:44and fiber. Things like anthocyanins are
254. 8:47rich in blackcurrants, raspberry,
255. 8:50blueberries. For even more creaminess
256. 8:52and added quality fats that are actually
257. 8:54heart-healthy, we're using frozen
258. 8:56avocado. You might also be surprised to
259. 8:58know that avocado is a really good
260. 9:00source of fiber. Now, this isn't my
261. 9:03everyday breakfast because when you
262. 9:05blend food, you lose the food structure,
263. 9:08which is super important for keeping you
264. 9:10satisfied. But sometimes you just don't
265. 9:12have time and this gets me out of
266. 9:14trouble all the time. When you have this
267. 9:16ready, you can pop them in the freezer,
268. 9:18they'll keep for months, and you can
269. 9:20just use them whenever you find yourself
270. 9:22in a spot of trouble. But you don't just
271. 9:24stop at the freezer part, you add
272. 9:26flaxseed and protein to give you that
273. 9:28fiber and protein boost, and this is
274. 9:30what makes it much more complete. And
275. 9:32you've got two options for liquids, milk
276. 9:34which will make it creamy [music]
277. 9:35or water that will keep it light.
278. 9:39>> [snorts]
279. 9:40>> And that's it. Protein, healthy fats,
280. 9:43and fiber in a smoothie that every
281. 9:45smoothie should have. You can enjoy at
282. 9:47home in a nice glass or pop it in a
283. 9:49[music] jar to take with you. Now you've
284. 9:51got breakfast sorted, why not sort your
285. 9:53lunch out as well? Try these
286. 9:55high-protein, high-fiber lunches that I
287. 9:58make all the time.