From lifting weights recreationally to powerlifting, finding dairy free and high protein breakfast ideas was not easy. Back in the day, I was able to eat yoghurt, cottage cheese and drink milk. In fact, I remember earlier in my fitness journey when I could rely on dairy products to hit my protein goal daily. Eventually, my body evolved. With that evolution, my diet changed. My body stopped digesting lactose. I can’t pinpoint an exact moment in time when my body decided that it was done with lactose, but I will always remember the feeling when I consumed it.
During that transition period, I had to do a 180 degree switch overnight. Whey protein powder became plant-based. Semi-skimmed milk became either almond or oat milk. Yoghurt and cottage cheese were completely eliminated from my diet as there weren’t any dairy free options available at the time. Moreover, I thought that hitting my protein goals daily was going to be impossible due to this dietary restriction. Yes, I could have replaced them with another source of meat. However, eating copious amounts of meat daily can make me feel heavy as it takes longer to digest.
Luckily over the years, I found a way to have high protein meals that I enjoy while reaching my protein target for the day. It is not as impossible as I thought I was. It just requires a little strategy on your part. If you are someone who has this dietary restriction, you’ve come to the right place. Regardless if you are dairy free or lactose free, you can meet your nutrition goals. In fact, whatever dietary restrictions you have, you can still build muscle and eat high protein meals.
What Is Dairy Free vs Lactose Free
These two phrases “dairy free” and “lactose free” are either misused or are used interchangeably. Sometimes I make this common mistake. The difference between the two phrases are that lactose-free products are created with real dairy milk and milk proteins (think whey and casein) but do not contain lactase. Lactase is the enzyme that helps the body digest lactose. Dairy free products are created with plant sources such as nuts and grains. For example, oat milk and almond milk are dairy free.
The way that I remember it is that all dairy free products are lactose free but not all lactose free products are dairy free. This is why I think it’s very important to look at the nutrition facts at the back of the product and the packaging itself to make sure that you are purchasing the right product for your dietary restriction.
Hitting Your Protein Goals Without Dairy
Believe it or not, eggs do not contain dairy. I don’t know why it is placed in that section in pretty much every food store that I’ve been to, but you can eat eggs. That was a sigh of relief for me because I love eggs a lot. I pretty much eat them everyday whether it’s in an omelette, scrambled or sunny side up. Boiled eggs, there is something about the texture that I just don’t like as an adult. You can definitely miss me with that one.
Other than eggs, there are other food sources that you can eat that for breakfast that can help increase your protein intake. Whether you choose to add something small like chia seeds or flax seeds or add something bigger like breakfast sausages or canned fish. Or eat more of what you are already eating. In addition, you can always add a scoop of protein powder. Making that small adjustment can go a long way.
On The Go Dairy Free Breakfast Ideas
Whether you are a corporate girlie, hybrid and WFH worker, sometimes you may not have the time to sit and eat your breakfast at home. You may exercise before work and eat your food at the office. In rare instances, I don’t feel like taking an egg dish to the office for breakfast. By having a variety of on-the-go dairy free breakfast ideas available, you are going to save time, money and be consistent with your nutrition goals. All the ideas below have a total of 20g to 30g protein:
- Oatmeal with chia and flax seeds, topped with mixed berries and almond butter.
- Chia pudding with blueberries and oat milk topped with nuts and fruits.
- Breakfast burrito with chicken or turkey breakfast sausages with avocado and a side of fruit.
- Moi Moi with a side of oatmeal with fruit.
- High protein waffle or pancake mix (think Kodiak Cakes).
- Non egg scramble – replace the eggs with quinoa, potatoes or beans with all your usual vegetables topped with avocado and smoked salmon and a side of sourdough bread.
Breakfast Ideas With Egg
The number of egg dishes that you can have for breakfast are endless. You can combine egg with pretty much everything to have something savoury or something sweet. I like to combine another source of protein with my eggs to boost up the protein intake.
- Scrambled eggs with spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, (optional: sardines) topped with avocado, smoked salmon with a high protein wrap.
- Breakfast burrito with minced protein of choice, onions, eggs and kale with a side of fruit.
- Waffles with bacon, eggs, avocado and sriracha.
- Chicken and waffles with avocado mash.
- Egg and veggie muffins.
- Potato hash with spicy eggs.
Non Traditional Dairy Free Ideas
When people think about breakfast, the traditional breakfast foods drift into our minds. There is no rule out there that says that you have to have cereal or traditional breakfast foods to break your fast. You just need to eat food that has high protein, fats, carbs and fibre. If none of these ideas seem appetising to you, then have what you would usually have for lunch or dinner as breakfast. Then you can have a traditional breakfast for dinner. Sometimes I do this when I have decision fatigue.
Ethnic Dairy Free Options
As a Nigerian, ethnic and cultural dishes have a place in the nutritional and fitness world. Western centric meals take over and are deemed as healthier options which is further from the truth. From my experience, it is down to portion sizes and choosing healthier oils to cook your meals. Most ethnic dishes from African and East Asian countries generally contain no dairy. You can add more protein to them if needed.
- Fried yam, eggs and plantain (Nigerian breakfast). I like to add corned beef or canned fish to mine.
- Japanese Salted Salmon – can be made ahead of time and frozen if needed.
- Kimchi rice with bacon and eggs.
- Spicy tofu and eggs in a skillet.
- Cheesy Masala Beans on toast
- Ugandan Rolex – you can have some sausages or bacon on the side.
Meal prepping in advance is going to save you from inconsistent eating and low protein meals. In addition, having a shopping list saved on your phone with certain ingredients permanently remaining there will help you be more prepared for the week. Being dairy free is not a hindrance to your nutrition goals. You need to play around with ingredients to find the best meal options for you.
What are some of your favourite go-to dairy free and high protein breakfast meals? I’m usually a creature of habit when it comes to food but love to switch things up every now and then when I’m getting bored. I hope that this post has given you some new meal ideas to try out. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community to never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content.
Until next time,
Folakemi
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