Jennifer Aniston’s Protein Oatmeal Upgrade Is Genius

• Jennifer Aniston adds egg whites to her oatmeal for extra protein.
• One large egg white has about four grams of protein.
• Other ways to add protein to oatmeal include milk, yogurt and nut butter.

Actress Jennifer Aniston has always been on trend. Whether it’s her hair, her projects or her food, she’s elegant and ahead of her time. While high-protein meals are all the rage now, Aniston has been upping her protein all along, as revealed in an interview to Elle in 2016. Case in point: Aniston adds egg whites to her oatmeal. While a lot has changed since 2016, we think this breakfast hack might be timeless.

When the Friends and The Morning Show star wakes up, her morning routine involves lemon water first thing. For breakfast, she chooses between a shake, avocado and eggs, puffed millet cereal with banana or oatmeal with a whipped egg white

Of her choices, the oatmeal upgrade stood out to us immediately. “Right before [the oatmeal] is finished cooking, you just whip in an egg white and it kind of gives it this fluffy texture that’s delicious,” Aniston explained to Elle. 

It’s probably safe to assume Aniston is cooking her oats on the stovetop and not in the microwave when she adds in the egg. Depending on the egg, most egg whites have about three to four grams of protein and minimal fat, unlike a whole egg.

With very little carbs and sodium, an egg white is an easy way to dial up protein without dialing up much else—which means it can work in plenty of other dishes, too. Plus, whipping it up beforehand, as Aniston does, makes it even easier to fold into the oatmeal for an easy breakfast solution.

Other ways to add protein with or without an egg include cooking the oats in milk. Dairy milk can offer 8 grams of protein per cup, and soy comes in close with seven. Nut butter is another tasty option for oats, and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has about eight grams of protein.

To really mix it up, consider savory oatmeal. There’s no reason oats, which have a neutral flavor, have to be mixed with sugar—they can have cheese, vegetables of all kinds and meat like sausage added in, too. Both cheese and meat have varying amounts of protein that, combined with fat and fiber, will keep you fuller longer. 

If making overnight oats, Greek yogurt is a classic protein addition that can be swirled right in. Other last minute additions, like a sprinkle of nuts, seeds or even a touch of protein powder can also be simple ways to increase your morning protein intake.

However you dress up your oatmeal, just remember that it’s one of our favorite breakfast dishes for a reason—when you start your day with oats, you’ll be enjoying plenty of benefits and lots of flavor. Get ready to dig in!