5 breakfast ideas for plant-based athletes

By Henry Howard

Meals don’t have to be boring on a vegan diet, as I wrote previously. While my culinary skills are somewhat lacking, I have a rotation of healthy, vegan or plant-based, gluten-free breakfasts that are my staples.

They provide a solid mix of carbs, proteins and fats, and help me refuel after a morning workout. Here are five examples that I highly recommend for breakfast or even a mid-day snack. Of course, they are easily adaptable to substitutions to fit your particular taste buds and available ingredients.

Granola and fruit bowl

This is my go-to breakfast, which fills me up after a workout and is easy to make. I vary the fruits and the combination of hemp, flax and/or chia seeds but here is what I typically include.

Ingredients

Medium or large banana

½ cup blueberries

5-6 medium strawberries

Tablespoon of hemp seeds

Tablespoon of flax seeds

Dash of cinnamon

Cup of plant-based milk

Cup of Nature’s Path Sunrise Crunchy Honey (or another granola or cereal)

Tale of the tape

Protein: 22 grams

Carbs: 97 grams

Fat: 18 grams

Fiber: 17 grams

Oatmeal and fruit bowl

Oatmeal is a favorite among runners. While I enjoy it as a break from my regular breakfast, I don’t eat oatmeal as often as I should. Like the granola bowl, there are no limits to the toppings of what you can pile on. I prefer mine to be more soupy, but you can certainly use less plant-based milk. Here’s an example from a recent breakfast.

Ingredients

Medium banana

½ cup blueberries

5-6 medium strawberries

Tablespoon of hemp seeds

Dash of cinnamon

1½ cups of plant-based milk

½ cup of Quaker Oats

Tale of the tape

Protein: 21 grams

Carbs: 73 grams

Fat: 14 grams

Fiber: 13 grams

Peanut or nut butter with banana on toast

I often actually have this as a “second breakfast” or mid-morning snack, especially on days when I do a hard workout in the morning. It’s another easy one to prepare. There are lots of different combinations you can try with various nut or peanut butters, and fruits. Apples and fresh strawberries work well as toppers, too.

Ingredients

Medium or large banana

2 tablespoons of peanut or nut butter

Two slices of gluten-free bread, toasted

Dash of cinnamon

Tablespoon of hemp seeds

Tale of the tape

Protein: 14 grams

Carbs: 71 grams

Fat: 23 grams

Fiber: 10 grams

Avocado on toast

This lacks the protein and carbs of others on this list. On days when I opt for this for breakfast, I usually have a protein shake to increase my protein intake. It’s also a favorite for a “second breakfast” or mid-morning snack. I usually opt for this on rest and recovery days and look to get in protein elsewhere.

Ingredients

½ or full-sized avocado

Two slices of gluten-free bread, toasted

Sliced tomatoes

Dash of black pepper

Dash of Himalayan sea salt

Tale of the tape

Protein: 5 grams

Carbs: 36 grams

Fat: 13 grams

Fiber: 10 grams

Muffin with yogurt

This offers a nice change of pace on a recovery day, whether I use a homemade or Udi muffin. I generally warm the muffin up, add in some yogurt and top with a combination of berries and seeds. This also makes for a great afternoon snack on some of those harder workout days.

Ingredients

Gluten-free muffin (Udi blueberry in this example)

½ cup blueberries

Almond milk vanilla yogurt

1 ounce of goji berries

Tablespoon of chia seeds

Tale of the tape

Protein: 15 grams

Carbs: 102 grams

Fat: 19 grams

Fiber: 11 grams