VoltraHealthy breakfast: ideas with calories and protein, from Gulf foods
You don't need breakfast to lose weight: in a 2019 review of randomised trials, people told to eat breakfast ate about 260 kcal more a day than people told to skip it and weighed 0.44 kg more, though the trials were short and mostly low quality [1]. If you like breakfast, build it around protein: 20 to 40 g a meal is the range most protein studies work with [3][4].
Two eggs, a cup of foul and half an Arabic bread come to about 413 kcal and 28 g of protein (calculated) [5][6][7].
Does breakfast help you lose weight?
Not in trials. The 2019 review pooled 13 randomised trials. In the 7 that measured weight, people assigned to breakfast weighed 0.44 kg more on average than those assigned to skip it; in the 10 that measured food, they ate 260 kcal more a day. The trials lasted about seven weeks for weight and two weeks for food, and every one had some risk of bias, so the authors advise caution [1].
Nor does breakfast speed up your metabolism. In a 6-week trial in Bath, England, lean adults who ate at least 700 kcal before 11 am every day had the same resting metabolism as those who fasted until midday (within 11 kcal a day). They ate 539 kcal a day more, but also burned about 442 kcal more through physical activity, and body weight didn't differ between the groups [2].
So eat breakfast if it suits you, or skip it: what decides your weight is the day's total. Skipping breakfast is a form of intermittent fasting.
Breakfast foods: calories and protein
| Food and serving | kcal | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs, 2 large (100 g) | 143 | 12.6 |
| Foul (fava beans), boiled, no oil, 1 cup (170 g) | 187 | 12.9 |
| Olive oil, 1 tablespoon (13.5 g) | 119 | 0 |
| Labneh, 2 tablespoons (30 g) | 46 | 3.9 |
| Arabic (pita) bread, white, 1 large loaf (60 g) | 165 | 5.5 |
| Oats, dry (50 g) | 190 | 6.6 |
| Nada 0% fat Greek yoghurt, 160 ml pot | 101 | 16 |
| Dates, Deglet Noor, 3 dates (about 21 g) | 60 | 0.5 |
| Balaleet (200 g) | 424 | 13.2 |
Calculated from per-100 g figures: eggs [5], foul [6], bread [7], olive oil [8], labneh [9], oats [10], Greek yoghurt [11], dates [12] and balaleet [13]. Other Gulf analyses of balaleet are lower, down to 168 kcal per 100 g: see calories in balaleet.
Four breakfasts, added up
| Breakfast | kcal | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 eggs, 1 cup of foul, half an Arabic bread | 413 | 28.2 |
| The same, with a tablespoon of olive oil on the foul | 532 | 28.2 |
| 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of labneh, 1 Arabic bread | 354 | 21.9 |
| Nada 0% Greek yoghurt, 50 g of oats, 3 dates | 351 | 23.1 |
| Balaleet, 200 g | 424 | 13.2 |
Calculated from the table above.
Lighter, or more filling
- Measure the oil. A tablespoon of olive oil on your foul adds 119 kcal (calculated) [8].
- Halve the bread. Half an Arabic bread saves about 83 kcal (calculated) [7].
- More protein for the calories. Nada's 0% Greek yoghurt has 16 g of protein in 101 kcal [11]; see Greek yoghurt.
- Weigh oats dry. Dry and cooked oats differ about fivefold by weight; see calories in oats.
- Balaleet is a sweet breakfast. A 200 g plate has 424 kcal and 13 g of protein in Bahrain's table [13].
How Voltra fits in
Take a photo of your breakfast with Snap a meal and Voltra estimates its calories and protein, or search for a food by its English or Arabic name: foul, labneh, balaleet and Arabic bread are in its food list. Log a meal from Home before 11 am and it goes under Breakfast.
Frequently asked
Is it OK to skip breakfast?
For your weight, yes: in randomised trials, people told to skip breakfast ate about 260 kcal less a day and weighed slightly less than people told to eat it.
What is a healthy breakfast for weight loss?
One with protein that fits your calories. Two eggs, a cup of foul and half an Arabic bread come to about 413 kcal and 28 g of protein; Greek yoghurt with 50 g of oats and 3 dates, about 351 kcal and 23 g (calculated).
How many calories should breakfast be?
There's no set number. What matters for your weight is the day's total, so fit breakfast into your daily target.
Does breakfast speed up your metabolism?
No. In a 6-week trial, a daily breakfast of at least 700 kcal left resting metabolism unchanged, within 11 kcal a day.
Sources
- Sievert K, Hussain SM, Page MJ, Wang Y, Hughes HJ, Malek M, Cicuttini FM (2019). Effect of breakfast on weight and energy intake: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 364:l42. Abstract. 13 randomised trials; mean follow-up 7 weeks for weight, 2 weeks for energy intake.
- Betts JA, Richardson JD, Chowdhury EA, Holman GD, Tsintzas K, Thompson D (2014). The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in lean adults. Am J Clin Nutr 100(2):539–547. Abstract. The Bath Breakfast Project, 33 lean adults.
- Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14:20. Position statement, points 5 and 7.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA (2018). How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 15:10. Narrative review.
- USDA FoodData Central. Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC 171287). 143 kcal and 12.56 g of protein per 100 g; a large egg is 50 g.
- USDA FoodData Central. Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 173753). 110 kcal and 7.6 g of protein per 100 g; 1 cup is 170 g.
- USDA FoodData Central. Bread, pita, white, enriched (FDC 174915). 275 kcal and 9.1 g of protein per 100 g; a large pita is 60 g.
- USDA FoodData Central. Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413). 884 kcal per 100 g; 1 tablespoon is 13.5 g.
- Musaiger AO (2011). Food Composition Tables for Kingdom of Bahrain. Arab Center for Nutrition. Item 9.16, labneh: 154 kcal and 12.9 g of protein per 100 g.
- USDA FoodData Central. Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry (FDC 173904). 379 kcal and 13.2 g of protein per 100 g.
- Nada. Greek Yoghurt: product pages with nutrition facts. 0% Fat Plain: 63 kcal and 10 g of protein per 100 ml; 160 ml pot.
- USDA FoodData Central. Dates, deglet noor (FDC 171726). 282 kcal and 2.45 g of protein per 100 g; one date is about 7 g.
- Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain (2025). Bahrain Food Composition Tables, 1st edition. Item 8.10, balaleet, from Kuwait's table: 212 kcal and 6.6 g of protein per 100 g.
Sources checked on 8 October 2026.
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