Yogurt: breakfast, digestive health and why Activia is a terrible choice.

You know you should eat your breakfast; your momma told you so.  Then again, so did Wheaties and Pop Tart and Jimmy Dean and Tim Horton.   But all breakfasts are not created equally. Cereal? Bagel? Pop tart and OJ? Greasy breakfast sandwich that could sit on your counter NOT growing mold for a year or so?  Not so much balanced breakfast ideas.   Having a breakfast of sugar and carbohydrates might give you a quick boost, but you'll crash and be cranky and starving by lunchtime.   Protein is essential to keeping your body functioning properly.  So, what do you do for QUICK weekday breakfasts that are healthy and cheap?



YOGURT!  Whole, real, full-fat, plain yogurt like Seven Star Farms.  They are cultured products, which means the good microbes are still alive and haven't been killed by pasteurizing the product.  Probiotics and enzymes are fantastic natural solutions for digestive health. Real yogurt actually TASTES like yogurt; tangy and tart and with a little bit of texture.  If you're protein-conscious, Greek Yogurt is a great choice.   Because Greek yogurt has been strained to remove excess whey, it is thicker and the protein content is much higher than regular yogurt.  To me the extra protein is worth the extra couple bucks.  Greek yogurt is super filling, so I tend to do 1/2 c servings rather than a whole cup.

NO-gurt.  What kind of yogurt is a bad idea?  All of the ones in little, convenient cups and filled with real & fake sugars + additives, colors, preservatives, namely Activia.  Yeah, that might sound counter-intuitive, because of all of the TV ads and claims that it has healthy probiotics.  Guess what?  The probiotic they use, Bifidus Regularis (LOL) has been manufactured just for them in a laboratory, people.  It's not a naturally occurring one like you'll find in the types I've mentioned above. So, not only are we unsure of what actual benefits this modified organism has, it's just plain snakey for Dannon Corporation to create and patent the living organism and profit off of YOU.

/rant.

If you work in an office, keep the "toppings" in baggies at your desk, and bring in a large container of Yogurt and some real fruit in at the beginning of each week. There. Now you officially have no more excuses of "wahhhh.....I don't have time for a healthy breakfast!!!".

Here are some of my favorite yogurt "recipes" but feel free to mix, match, substitute and create your perfect blend. 

SEED-TASTIC

1/2 c Whole-Milk yogurt
1 oz pepita seeds
1 tsp flax seeds
1/2 banana, sliced
Pinch of cinnamon

AMBROSIA


1/2 c Greek yogurt
Drizzle of honey
1/2 orange
1/2 oz almonds
1/2 oz unsweetened coconut flakes

250 calories
14 g protein
10 g fat
21 g carbs

BERRY BLAST


1/2 c Greek yogurt
1/3 c frozen or fresh blueberries
2 tbsp tart cherry juice concentrate
1/2 oz walnuts

261 calories
13 g protein
10 g fat
32 g carbs


GRANOLA CRUNCHER


1/2 c Greek yogurt
2 tbsp granola
2 tbsp dried fruit (cherry cranberry mix is my favorite)
1/2 oz pecans

325 calories
14 g protein
15g fat
33 carbs

SUPER PROTEIN (If you're working out a ton, this is a good choice!)


1 cup Greek Yogurt
1/2 banana
2 scoops whey protein powder (I used chocolate)

289 calories
36 g protein
3 g fat
32 g carbs

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