Protein for breakfast

Oh, we'll be in Paris, Rome, Siena, Florence, CT and Gimmelwald.

Thanks again.

Do they offer things like cheese, yogurt, etc for breakfast?

Hello Connie. I would not expect to find a good breakfast, or any good meal, served at Gimmelwald. But at other places in Switzerland a breakfast buffet is likely to include yogurt or milk or cheese. Cheese is not difficult to find in France. Perhaps you could buy cheese the day before, and keep it for breakfast. I was told that eating food that has protein in it in the morning is important. The are various foods that have protein. Are you willing to drink soy milk ? (soy bean juice). A big can of powdered soy milk could be carried to Europe. Mix water with it. (The various different brands of soy milk powder have different flavors, and a wide variety of prices). And nuts have protein, but nuts do not digest quickly. Spirulina tablets (Earth Rise brand) have protein that is instantly digested, helping to normalize the pancreas.

Or Ireland, Kent. A full Irish breakfast will keep you full easily until dinner.

Eggs and meat are not the only source of protein.
IMO meat is bad for you and it will make you tired. I'm not saying this because I've been a vegetarian for many years now, but I did a lot of research on this subject.I just can imagine eating bacon or other type of meat in the morning.It will fill me up and I won't be able to walk.
There are other foods that can give you energy, and they don't come from animals.You can try cereals.
However Europeans eat eggs, boiled or scrambeled.I am not sure how much meat they do in the morning.

A few years ago I stayed in a nice hotel in Brusselle and they had all kinds of things for breakfast, eggs, yogourt, cheese , pastry, even bagels. I don't recall seeing any omlets or doughnuts, though.
In France they have bagettes and other kinds of breads all over the place and you can get sandwitches amde of these.

Connie, not sure if someone posted this, but in Europe, breakfast is light, especially in Paris or Italy. Its lunch which is the bigger meal. That's where you'll get the protein and fill up until dinner, which is late like around 8 pm.

Also you'll need the carbs because unlike here in the US where we sit a lot, you'll be walking or doing more mobile things when sightseeing.

You won't find the typical bacon, ham or sausage and eggs for breakfast unless you are in a large hotel. However, most places serving breakfast often have cheese, yogut and lunch meats. We find a few with hard-boiled eggs now and then.

Connie,

We lived in Atlanta for years and let me put this in perspective for you... Every time my wife goes home to the States, her last meal before we head to the airport on the return trip is always BREAKFAST at Waffle House. I just need to ask which one.

So don't look for an American breakfast in Italy. It is mostly coffee and "cornetto" for breakfast, followed by a big lunch!

Even most McDonald's in town do not serve an American breakfast (I have a craving for a sausage & egg biscuit!). You can get an Egg McMuffin at a few in-town McD's (like the one in Termini Station) but most sell an "Italian" breakfast - What's the world coming to??

Some hotels do feature an "American breakfast" but even these are weak imitations of what you're used to. Whenever we head to the UK, we load up at breakfast time!

You can get yogurt at a few places (cafe's) and at ALL grocery stores. In fact, the varieties and amount of yogurt in grocery stores here is astonishing!

Ciao,
Ron

Most breakfasts in Europe also include eggs (soft-boiled, served in an egg cup), yogurt, cheeses and in the Germanic parts, even cold cuts - so I wouldn't worry too much!
You might have to keep in mind that Europeans don't consider their food things in terms of protein and such, like Americans do, but will be proud to serve you FOOD, like home-smoked hams from the farm next door, or eggs from the happy chickens in their aunties backyard, homemade jams or such things. It's a different food culture all the way around.
Italians do not like to eat much for breakfast, but fairly quickly into the mornings you will be able to eat the most delicious stuff you have ever tasted, including protein.
If you do end up taking powdered soy milk with you, better keep it a secret - most Europeans would be totally aghast at the thought . .

I must be staying at different places...breakfast for us throughout Europe has always been fairly substantial. There is almost always yogurt, fruit, ceral, rolls, bread and toasters, butter, jams, sliced meats and cheeses(in Scandinavia three or more kinds of Herring), often there are hard boiled eggs...and at the Splendid Hotel in Interlaken, they even had skillets and eggs so that you could cook your own eggs (omelete or easy over). In Italy, most Hotels will prepare a capuccino for you in lieu of the watered down stuff they call Cafe American.

THe only place I found that skimped on protein was around Italy. You usuaully just got a roll and some butter and jam. However a grocery store is never too far away and you can buy some cheese/yogurt/meat there. Everywhere else I never had a problem with recieving yogurt/cheese/meat with my breakfast. In Paris if you are staying in a hotel that you have to pay extra for your breakfast, ask first what it includes. I found that they served a much larger breakfast than the basic croissant and jam that you would find at a corner cafe.

Protein for breakfast does not have to come in the form of greasy sausages or bacon. When I arrive in Europe my first trip is to the grocery store (we do usually self-catering appartments) to stock up on yoghurt for my breakfast. Much better choices there than anything I've ever seen in North America.

In Germany, a boiled egg is very common for breakfast. Cheese and cold-cuts are served most of the time as well.

Yoghurt and Muesli is a very traditional choice for breakfast in Switzerland and definitely healthy and substantial enough to last you till noon.

French breakfasts aren't really big. But here the traditional form of protein comes from a substantial amount of milk in your "cafe au lait" (a full cup of milk + a shot of espresso).

If you stay in a hotel that's popular for business travellers most will offer a buffet style breakfast that will include the choices you're used to. Even in France as my husband tells me ;-)

I've never had a problem asking a waiter for two eggs and a croissant with my cafe au lait. Just know the difference in pronunciation between "deux oeuf" (two eggs) and "douze oeuf" (twelve eggs) or your cholesterol will go crazy.

When I was in Rome, I stayed at the Hosianum. A tiny Italian hotel where barely anyone speaks English.
Their free breakfast was the best I ever had. They served EVERYTHING! However, scrambled eggs in Italy are horrible! They put a lot of olive oil in the eggs.
My parents lived in Italy, and my sister was even born in Rome. My Mom told me scrambled eggs are very common in Italy, but always with the olive oil! I could eat anything the hotel served, but the eggs!

Funnily enough I cook my scrambled eggs with olive oil all the time...not in the eggs but in the pan,,much more healthy tha nusing butter.

Connie- I do remember having mozarella and proscuito (sp?) at breakfast throughout Italy, with maybe the occasional yogurt. Mainly it was rolls, cereal, adn fruit.

Forgot to mention, in Paris, it's ham and cheese, yogurt, and lots of bread and cereal. I'm like you and could of used more protein.

Breakfast habits vary throughout Europe, from the "full English/Irish" with sausage, meat puddings, eggs, baked beans, bacon, toast, tomatoes, etc, to the French bread, cheese and jam. Many other countries fall somewhere in between. If you really need your early morning protein boost, most hotels will probably offer some selection of cheese, eggs and cold cuts.

You can also do what I did in Italy and pack protein bars. Small, compact, don't weigh a lot. I didn't end up eating very many because my hotel (3-star) did a more American-style buffet breakfast with eggs, sausage, pastries, and oddly...peas.

Just out of curiosity, I opened my frig and checked the label on my yoghurts!! Very interesting.

Yoplait low fat(French brand in casae you didn't know
5 grams of protein and about 19 grams of carbs!!

La Yoghurt ..a local NE brand
6 grams of protein
16 granms of carbs

Hard to avoid those carbs! And the bread in Europe is absolutely THE BEST! But butter has protein in it!
Enjoy!

Yogurt in Europe is much different than in the US. A lot less sugar, for one thing. A lot of times in France we would get a plain yogurt and then you add jam to it to sweeten it to your taste.

David,

you're so right! That's the reason I don't buy any yoghurt here but make my own. BTW the best hotel yoghurt I've ever had was in Greece (Crete to be precise): they made it fresh every day! I started out every morning with probably 2 cups of that ...

Thanks everyone for all your replies. I went to work and by the time I came home there were 26 responses!!

I don't have to have bacon and eggs for breakfast. But like a lot of people with low blood sugar, I do have to have some sort of protein otherwise I have no energy, sick to my stomach, grouchy and glazed over. Once I get like that, it's hard to get my energy back to normal. I don't want to miss one second of Europe and I certainly want to be a good travel partner.

I never leave home without nuts so I guess I'll throw some in my bag and hopefully can get some more.Yogurt, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, protein bars are all good options. I'm glad to know I can ask for eggs--can't hurt to try. If I can't find anything at the hotel or cafe, I'll just head to a nearby grocery store.

Thanks, Kent!

Sometimes I forget and my German heritage comes through - that language just wants to write anything possible as ONE word like "Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft"(=Danube Steamship Shipping Association) ....

Hi Connie,

You will find wonderful protein in Gimmelwald! I don't know if you have a place to cook, but go by Esther's and she will have sausgage, cheese, fresh milk straight from the cow and fresh eggs! We ate wonderful food. Her sausage was the best! Many of the locals sell food to visitors. It was a wonderful place to visit. One I can't wait to get back to someday! Also...make sure you have some cheese fondue! She is up the street on the right side.

Susan and Monte, we are staying in Esther's duplex so we will have a kitchen there. We will certainly go visit her store. Thanks

Maryanne,
About the scrambled eggs in olive oil, having olive oil in the pan is just fine. But the eggs in Italy are floating in the oil and is just terrible.
I agree what people are saying about the yogurt in Europe. Really wonderful, and that's what I mostly eat for breakfast.Connie, I also have low blood sugar, and need to be careful.

Hi Connie, I am so glad you posted this question.I was worried about exactly the same thing as I get that "after carb" crash. I am going to bring some protein bars,and some "ziploc" bags so I can buy cheese and nuts at the market and "bring my own" protein.

European and Greek style plain yogurt has much lower carbs than US yogurt. I add splenda and cinnamon to mine to keep the carbs down.

Here's something you could try if you wanted to carry a couple of extra things. Some European markets will sell you individual eggs. Pack an immersion heater and cup large enough to submerse the egg. Heat the water with the immersion heater, place the egg inside, and you should have a soft boiled egg in a few minutes. (It would be virtually impossible to hard boil the egg.)

You can also look into dried meats that don't necessarily need refrigeration.

And, there are some protein powders that come in individual serving sizes. You just add water. Whole Foods and GNC should carry them.

There is a lot of crap in the yogourt sold on US markets, unless it's Greek or organic. If you look at the label, you will see a lot of weird ingredients, even corn starch. Plus milk in the US contains the hormon rBGH , which is so bad for our bodies.

If you buy "plain" yoghurt here or abroad, you will get a product that has no added sugar. Milk itself has carbs in the form of lactose, so expect to see carbohydrates on the label even for "plain" yoghurt. I eat yoghurt regularly in Europe. If "plain" isn't available I eat the kind with fruit. It still has acidophilus etc. in it. Want more protein? Add milk to your coffee and eat cereal with milk. I usually buy the BabyBel cheeses to have handy for supplementing breakfasts. I also carry a small supply of peanuts or walnuts to munch on.

My favorite yoghurt, albeit a bit pricey, is Liberte.
Made in Quebec from the milk of Vermont cows!!!How's that for cross-border cooperation?

My other favorite yoghurt I found in L'Epicerie at Bon Marche dept. store in Paris. I don't remember the name but it was from Normandy and was sold in glass jars..absolutely yummy. I kept going back and bying MORE as I was staying nearby This food shop is fabulous and you can find all kinds of goodies suitable for carrying home. Not the cheapest place but absolutely fascinating browsing.

I also feel better if I have protein at breakfast. My hotels in London , Rome and Florence all had protein options. Paris didn't, so I bought yougurt at a nearby store.
The yougurt in the little glass jars is called "La Spega" (not sure if I spelled it right)is my favorite esp the cinnimon-ginger. And not to split hairs, but I think it's Italian

In France, it's easy to order a omelet for breakfast -- I would order the standard French breakfast of coffee & bread and my husband would order an omelet and split them. Brittany has the more English style breakfast with meats and yogurts, etc.

Italy was the hardest for us, but we just learned to pop in a deli-type store and buy a slice of cheesy pizza or sliced meat or cheese to supplement our coffee & juice.

You'll be able to figure out plenty of ways to eat the types of foods you're accustomed to, and you'll probably have a lot of fun doing it!

I think eggs are the way to go. I would ask your hotel to cook them, hard boiled, for you. Easy to do, especially if you provide the eggs for them. And as someone mentioned, you do not have to buy a whole dozen at a time.

Explain that you have a "medical condition" and have to have something with protein every morning. Even if you technically don't have a medical problem, I think this would help you get over cultural barriers about "having" to have an egg.

And I would take some protein bars if you have difficulties.

Connie,

I now carry protein powder every time I travel. It's a hassle, but it beats standing on the right bank in Paris and crying a 10 am because my blood sugar has crash after a carb breakfast. By that time the sandwich stands had opened, so my lovely husband rescued me with the innards of a sandwich (ham, egg & eheese). For some of us carbs are energy zappers - and dangerous. Just take a shaker and the protein powder of your choice (I like whey). Nuts and peanut butter are also big helps. Bon Voyage!

You all have been such a big help. I will stop stressing about it now that I have lots of ideas for protein options.

Every once in a while I post a question on Fodor's and I did about this as well. It is amazing how much friendlier, helpful and respectful people on this board are.

Thanks everyone!