8 Ways to Make Your Morning Toast Higher in Protein and Fiber, According to Dietitians
Toast isn’t just a side dish. Here are the best ways to turn it into a satisfying snack or meal.
Toast used to mean a couple of butter-slattered pieces of bread alongside eggs for breakfast. Thanks to the popularity of trendy avocados, people are rethinking those crispy pieces of bread and realizing just how versatile toast can be. You can top toast with just about anything—sweet or savory—to create an easy, fun, and filling snack or meal.
First, consider your bread. The type you choose matters a lot when it comes to flavor and nutrition. (You can’t have toast without it, after all.) Sourdough bread is the best pick for taste and texture, says Samina Qureshi, RDN, LD, CSDH, a registered dietitian, board-certified specialist in digestive health, and founder of Wholesome Start Nutrition Counseling. Because it’s fermented, sourdough bread might also be easier to digest for people who have a sensitive gut, irritable bowel syndrome, or who tend to get a little bloated from bread, she says.
Morgan Walker, MS, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian and adjunct professor and sports nutrition and wellness manager at Lebanon Valley College, loves sourdough as well as whole-grain bread. “I generally encourage looking for a bread that provides a good amount of fiber, and 100% whole-grain bread is an easy way to get more fiber along with nutrients such as magnesium, iron, zinc, and B vitamins, compared with refined grains,” Walker says.
Toast makes a great base, but the experts say it’s not quite nutritionally balanced by itself. To make its plentiful carbohydrates more satisfying, top your toast with a source of protein and a source of healthy fat or more fiber. “This formula is key to staying energized for longer and keeping food fun and exciting,” Qureshi says.
Experiment with these components on your own or try the recipes below:
- Protein: eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, ricotta, edamame, smoked salmon or tinned fish, tofu
- Healthy fats: avocado, tahini, nuts, seeds, nut or seed butters
- Fiber: beans, lentils, chia seeds, ground flax, berries, apples, pears, arugula, spinach, roasted vegetables, pumpkin puree
Hummus + cherry tomatoes + pumpkin seeds + feta
Perfect for a light, plant-based lunch, this combo from Qureshi offers a pleasing mix of flavors and textures. Spread 1 tablespoon of hummus on toast, and then top with 4 sliced cherry tomatoes, a few pumpkin seeds, and 1 teaspoon of crumbled feta. Pumpkin seeds are one of the best sources of magnesium, as well as healthy fat and fiber. The hummus and feta add tangy flavor plus protein, sweetened a tad by the tomatoes.
Avocado + smashed white beans or edamame + arugula and/or tomato
Combine half a small avocado with ¼ to ⅓ cup smashed edamame or white beans (like cannellini or navy beans). Spread it on the toast and then top with arugula and/or sliced tomato. “This provides healthy fats and potassium from the avocado, protein and fiber from the beans or edamame, plus additional fiber, vitamins, and plant compounds from the vegetables,” Walker says. Add everything-bagel seasoning or a drizzle of balsamic glaze for extra flavor.
Cottage cheese + blueberries + pistachios
Add ⅓ cup cottage cheese, about ½ cup blueberries, and 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios to toast. This unexpected pairing provides protein and calcium from the cottage cheese, fiber and vitamin C from the berries, plus healthy fats, magnesium, and zinc from the nuts, Walker says.
Chickpeas + sardines
Top sourdough toast with smashed chickpeas and three to four tinned sardines preserved with lemon, and then sprinkle with Maldon flaky salt. “It’s a great way to get in some heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and a dairy-free source of vitamin D and calcium for strong bones,” Qureshi says.
Avocado + smoked salmon + sriracha
Top toast with half of a firm but ripe avocado, thinly sliced smoked salmon, and a drizzle of sriracha hot sauce. “The flavors of this toast create what I like to call the ‘ratatouille effect,’ where all the flavors and textures create an explosion of joy in your mouth,” Qureshi says. “The fiber and heart-healthy fat from the avocado, protein and omega-3 fatty acids from the smoked salmon, carbohydrates from crispy sourdough toast, and the tangy yet spicy flavor boost from the sriracha make this a breakfast I regularly keep in my rotation.”
Peanut butter + banana + hemp seeds
“This is a classic flavor combo that brings back memories of afterschool snack time,” Qureshi says. Smear about 1 tablespoon of peanut butter onto toast, slice half a banana, and top with 1 teaspoon of hemp seeds, which add an extra boost of fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Cottage cheese + pumpkin puree + pumpkin seeds + apple or pear
Dress your toast with ⅓ cup cottage cheese, 2 to 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree, a few thin slices or apple or pear, and 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds. “This gives you protein and calcium, along with fiber and carotenoids from the pumpkin, and magnesium and zinc from the seeds,” Walker says. Apples and pears are also great sources of fiber. Sprinkle it with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for even more fall flavor.
Avocado + fried egg + turkey bacon
One of Qureshi’s favorite lunches is sourdough toast with half of a smashed avocado, a fried egg, and a strip of crispy turkey bacon, with a little flaky salt and crushed red pepper flakes on top. “It has all the components to make this meal satisfying and nutritious with the protein from the turkey bacon and egg, healthy fats and fiber from the avocado, and flavor from the seasoning,” she says.
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