This Simple Yogurt Bowl Recipe Packs 26 Grams Of Protein (& 13 Grams Fiber)

And we ditched the granola.

BigThink

Sep 14, 2023 - 21:02

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This Simple Yogurt Bowl Recipe Packs 26 Grams Of Protein (& 13 Grams Fiber)

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September 14, 2023

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Bowl of Greek Yogurt topped with honey, bee pollen and honeycomb

Image by Mariela Naplatanova / Stocksy

September 14, 2023

Depending on how you craft them, yogurt bowls walk a fine line between a sugar-laden dessert and a nourishing breakfast. And oh boy, over the last 10 years, my morning bowl has gone from one end of the spectrum to another.

Thanks to sweetened yogurt and granola, this breakfast of mine used to pack around 20 grams of added sugars (!) and would leave me famished an hour later.

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But with only a few simple ingredient tweaks, I’ve refined this traditional yogurt parfait into a high-protein (26 grams), high-fiber (13 grams) meal to power me through the day. Here’s how.

Choose a high-protein (unsweetened) yogurt

Getting enough protein at breakfast is vital for blood sugar balance and satiety. It’s best to aim for 20-30 grams of protein per meal. And that number is easy to hit if you choose the right yogurt.

Greek yogurt naturally has more protein than regular, because of the straining method used. (Many Greek yogurts provide 16 to 17 grams per ¾ cup serving of yogurt!)

My go-to brands are Siggis, Fage, and Stonyfield Farms. If you’re dairy-free, here are some plant-based yogurts to look out for.

Plain Greek yogurt has no added sugar. It does err on the tart side, so if that’s not to your taste preferences sweeten it yourself with fruit and consider adding a dash of vanilla.

Prioritize fiber

Fiber is often the forgotten nutrient in yogurt bowls. And missing out on it is what likely left me with an empty stomach long before lunch.

This ingredient was the hardest one to scale to a meaningful amount. For each half-cup serving, oats only offer four grams of fiber 1. Reaching that amount of oats through store-bought granola also comes with heaps of sugar. And—although easy—I rarely take the time to prep homemade granola.

So I recently turned to a fiber supplement (for the first time).

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mindbodygreen's organic fiber potency+

organic fiber potency+ delivers six grams of fiber derived from organic guar beans, a trio of mushrooms, and green kiwifruit.

These prebiotic fibers 2 feed your gut microbes, and studies support the role of guar bean fiber in satiety 3 and blood sugar control 4.*

This formula also really stood out to me because all the ingredients are derived from real plants (and not all fiber supplements are).

And it is actually flavorless—fitting into any flavor yogurt bowl takes on.

While organic fiber potency+ completely disperses in a liquid, it also seamlessly mixes with yogurt. And sometimes I’ll even sprinkle the scoop of powder on top for some textural variety.

It’s recommended that women get around 25 grams of fiber a day and men 38 grams, but most folks are only eating around 16 grams 5 a day.

Adding some high-fiber fruits (like raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) & seeds (chia, hemp, flaxseed) to your bowl is a great kickstart to meet (and even exceed) that goal.

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Put it all together with this recipe

Follow this base recipe and adjust the toppings to your preferences for a sure-fire, satisfying yogurt bowl every time.

Yogurt bowl base

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt (16-18 grams 6 of protein)1 scoop organic fiber potency+ (6 grams of fiber) ½-¾ cup berries, fresh or frozen (4-5 grams 7 of fiber)

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*Any fruit is great and feel free to mix it up! If you’re really focusing on fiber, berries are some of the most high-fiber fruits you can find.

Toppings & add-ins

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, shelled (3 grams 8 of fiber, 9 grams of protein)1 tablespoon chia seeds (4 grams 9 of fiber) 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (1.5 grams 10 of fiber)1 tablespoon hemp seeds ½ cup puffed millet (a great granola alternative) Nut or seed butter Cacao nibsVanilla extract

My go-to toppings are pumpkin seeds and puffed millet (for some added crunch and volume), which bring my total protein to 26 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber (oh and 0 grams of added sugar).

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The takeaway

When curated intentionally, yogurt bowls can be the quick, high-protein, high-fiber breakfast you’ve been looking for. A quality fiber supplement like organic fiber potency+ has been game-changing in upping that number for me and has ultimately been responsible for keeping me full until lunch.*

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.