{"id":639342,"date":"2026-05-12T22:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T22:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/639342\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T22:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T22:02:19","slug":"a-dietitians-go-to-breakfast-to-hit-both-protein-and-fiber-goals-nbc-5-dallas-fort-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/639342\/","title":{"rendered":"A dietitian\u2019s go-to breakfast to hit both protein and fiber goals \u2013 NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Breakfast is your chance to start the day off right and take the first step towards your nutritional goals<\/a>. But sometimes it feels like our goals might be competing, especially when it comes to two of the most talked about nutrients these days: protein and\u00a0fiber.<\/a><\/p>\n

There are easy ways to make progress on both of those goals with the same meals and, sometimes, the same foods. For example, as one dietitian tells TODAY.com, there\u2019s a simple meal she makes every week that provides filling protein and gut-healthy fiber.<\/p>\n

Diet tip of the day: Try chia pudding to meet protein and fiber goals<\/p>\n

When it comes to high-protein and high-fiber breakfasts, registered dietitian Grace Derocha tells TODAY.com that chia seed pudding is a consistent favorite.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just a breakfast item in her house \u2014 Derocha loves chia pudding as a snack or even as a dessert.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make chia seed pudding every week, like a big batch, and everyone in the family loves it,\u201d she says. \u201cChia pudding has fiber, it has heart-healthy fats and it has some protein,\u201d she adds, so it\u2019s the perfect nutrient combination to\u00a0keep blood sugar balanced,<\/a>\u00a0especially in the morning.<\/p>\n

And she\u2019s not alone. Other dietitians that TODAY.com has spoken to recently also mentioned chia seed pudding as a\u00a0high-fiber, high-protein and low-carb meal<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s a great vehicle for healthy fresh or frozen fruit, seeds and nuts.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

While we often think of fiber and protein as separate nutrient goals, \u201cthe real power is (eating) protein and fiber together,\u201d\u00a0Derocha explained previously<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen combined, protein and fiber can really help slow the system down,\u201d she said, which helps slow your digestion, keeps you full and supports better blood sugar control.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an endless variety of ways to combine protein and fiber in your meals, but one of the easiest is with foods that provide a good amount of both nutrients, such as chia seeds.<\/p>\n

One serving of chia seeds packs 5-6 grams of protein and a whopping 10 grams of fiber, making these tiny seeds one of the highest-fiber foods you can eat. They\u2019re also rich in\u00a0magnesium<\/a>, which supports blood pressure, Derocha said, as well as\u00a0heart-healthy fats<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The catch is that a full serving of chia seeds is 2 tablespoons, which is a lot of chia seeds, Derocha said. That\u2019s another reason why chia pudding is such a great option: It\u2019s one of the few ways to actually eat that many chia seeds in one meal and reap the nutritional benefits of a whole serving.<\/p>\n

How to get started<\/p>\n

The basic concept of a chia seed pudding is letting the seeds soak in liquid overnight in the fridge. By the time you\u2019re ready for breakfast the next day, they will have taken on a gel-like, pudding consistency.<\/p>\n

Your liquid of choice could be\u00a0milk<\/a>\u00a0or a\u00a0non-dairy milk alternative,<\/a>\u00a0like almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk.<\/p>\n

And from there, you can top your pudding with whatever you\u2019d like. Dietitians previously mentioned using ingredients like fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butter and a dollop of Greek yogurt for added flavor and nutrients. Feel free to drizzle a little honey or maple syrup on top or mix into your pudding for sweetness.<\/p>\n

Or you could opt for a savory profile with flavorful herbs and spices along with\u00a0riced cauliflower.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are a few simple TODAY recipes for chia pudding.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not ready for a full-on chia seed pudding, you can easily add some chia seeds to your overnight oats, as in Dylan Dreyer\u2019s\u00a0strawberry overnight oats<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This story\u00a0first appeared on TODAY.com.<\/a>\u00a0More from TODAY:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breakfast is your chance to start the day off right and take the first step towards your nutritional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":638660,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[65202,97,269],"class_list":["post-639342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-diet-exercise","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}