Macro Friendly Yogurt with Mixed Berries Recipe

Start your day on a delicious note enjoying this quick and easy macro friendly yogurt with mixed berries. This macro yogurt bowl is perfectly balanced, carrying a whopping 36 grams of high protein muscle fuel to curb hunger for hours. It’s a fantastic way to energize your body with natural probiotics and the nutrients your body craves. Here is what you need to know about your new Go-To healthy morning breakfast.

Greek yogurt with mixed berries is a classic breakfast for health and fitness enthusiasts for good reason. Quality Greek yogurt on its own is a power food, which is already a high protein food choice that will help keep you full and satisfied, while the natural probiotics from the greek yogurt help your gut biome. A quick switch to make your breakfast even more of a power food is simply swapping your favorite flavored yogurts for plain greek yogurt. This simple swap eliminates the downside of all the added sugar and additives. With this recipe your are keeping your breakfast low sugar (sweetening with only natural ingredients), while adding a crazy amount of tasty nutrients (including natural prebiotics) with fresh or frozen mixed berries.

Health Benefits of Mixed Berries

Mixed berries are a powerhouse of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries provide plenty of fiber and a natural sweetness, making them a perfect topping for your yogurt. Not only do they add flavor, but they also contribute to your overall health and well-being.

• Did you know there was actually research that showed that people who eat berries regularly may live longer, while reducing risk of Type 2 Diabetes & heart attacks, and research also shows they help keep unwanted weight off while boosting learning and memory. (according Harvard professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Eric Rimm) what’s not to love about all that?
• Loaded with nutrients like Vitamins C & K, Potassium, Magnesium, Fiber, Natural Prebiotics (which will help digest the natural probiotics from the Greek yogurt making this meal a very gut healthy breakfast)
• Allergic to berries or don’t prefer them? No problem. Simply switching to your preferred berry or swapping for pomegrante seeds, cherries, plums or other fruit can have similar benefits.

Greek Yogurt is NOT Made All Equal

If you look at the nutrition labels, you’ll quickly see that the macros are not the same per brand and neither are the ingredients. So, what do you do? What do you buy? First off, relax and remember these quick glance things.

• Look for few ingredients and less that 3g of sugar. Ideally the sugar will come from a natural sugar source giving you the most amount of nutrients and flavor without sacrificing the health benefits.
• High Protein yogurt like Oikos or Chobani is just fine it will give you a few extra grams of protein, just make sure to watch the sugars (which can spike your blood sugar and cause you to jump into a fat storing mode vs. a fat burning mode).
• If your greek yogurt has protein is on the lower end of 15g or less, but the sugar is below 3g, you can add a protein powder or collagen powder to boost the protein. Again, watch the sugar, unflavored collagen powder is a great way to add protein without unwanted sugar or carbs. As you may already be aware, there is some research suggesting that collagen powder has some beauty benefits as well as joint health benefits.

How is 23 Grams of Sugar, Low Sugar?

• Natural Sugars from Fruits and Vegetables & Even Unsweetened Milk Don’t Count Toward Your Daily Sugar Intake: The reason sugars from fruits, veggies and unsweetened milk do not count as added sugar is because their is no reported evidence there are any adverse health effects from having sugar straight from a natural source (According to the World Health Organization, also known as WHO). You should however watch your added sugars from processed and manufactured sources.
  • Foods with added sugar are foods with natural processed sugars like white sugar, brown sugar, processed honey, processed syrups etc.
• Natural Sugars From Fruit & Veggies are High In Fiber Which Lowers Blood Sugar Levels and Help Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes:
  • Limit added processed and manufactured sugar to…
    • 25g for Women
    • 12-25g for Children
    • 38g for Men … you read that right, 38g.. and Yup, this seems unfair to me too 😉

Why is this important?

When calculating sugars for the day, whether you are diabetic or counting macros or simply looking to avoid sugar spikes to avoid weight gain, the place the sugar comes from matters so so much more than just having sugar. Obviously, we can (almost) all agree that mixed berries are a more nutritious food than sprinkling processed sugar on our greek yogurt is, right? So, 23g of added sugar from a snickers bar is possibly not the more nutrient dense choice over 23g of sugar from a banana and carrots. (Please note snickers are delicious and I am in absolutely NO WAY disparaging or shaming them or anyone else who also enjoys them.). Now, lets dive into how to make this perfectly balanced macro-friendly greek yogurt bowl of goodness.

Perfectly Balanced & SimpleIngredients

• 1 1/4 cup High Protein Plain Greek yogurt, or your favorite plain greek yogurt
  • (Oikos Plain High Protein Greek Yogurt was used for macro balancing this recipe. If preferred, swap another yogurt, it will still taste delicious, but macros may not be exactly the same. Tip: if you must choose between whole or non-fat, opt for Whole Greek Yogurt. While I have had non-fat in this recipe, and it really is just as delicious, there is some convincing research out there for the superior benefits of whole milk products vs. non-fat products in terms of health benefits, which I will dive into another time, being totally transparent here, I usually grab whatever happens to be on sale and is the cheapest and it always tastes great).
• 1 cup mixed berries
  • (fresh or frozen, such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Research shows Frozen have the same health benefits as Fresh)
• 1/4 cup granola
  • (GRANOLA IS NOT ALL SUGAR FREE OR EQUAL.For this recipes’ macros I used Nature’s Path Brand, the pumpkin & flax seed one from Costco. It has 3.3g of sugars per 1/4 cup. Choose a sugar free or low sugar granola if swapping to keep this low sugar and help from spiking blood sugar causing you to store food as body fat. Homemade works great too.)
• 1/2 tablespoon hemp seeds
  • (adds healthy fats and fiber, swap with chia, flax or pumpkin seeds or even swap 1 1/2 tsps nut butter)
• *A drop of vanilla (completely optional)
• *Mint Leaves
• *optional

Instructions

Step 1:

• Scoop Yogurt (mixed with vanilla drop if using) and mixed berries into a bowl or meal prep container.

Step 2:

• When ready to eat. add granola and hemp seed toppings. Don’t add toppings to meal prep containers or the granola will be soggy.

Sweeten It Up (Optional):

• If you want a little extra sweetness add stevia or another zero or low calorie sweetener or opt for pure raw honey or pure maple syrup.
• Note: the granola will add a layer of sweetness and depth to the bowl, so pick a quality granola.
  

Garnish:

• Add fresh mint leaves for a refreshing pop of flavor or just as a garnish.
• If you don’t like mint, try sprinkling a bit of cinnamon for added flavor and health benefits.

Serve & Enjoy!

• Enjoy the literal fruits of your labor immediately as a nutritious breakfast or a filling snack!

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Macro-Friendly Yogurt with Mixed Berries! Packed with 27g of protein, 35g of carbs, and 11g of fat, this delicious recipe is perfect for breakfast or a snack, keeping your diet on track while satisfying your taste buds!

• Calories: 375 (macros may change depending on the yogurt and granola brands you choose)
• Protein: 36g
• Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 37g
• Fiber 6g
• Sugar 23g **

**Note about sugar: This may be controversial and I would love to hear your thoughts (please comment below to discuss). Only 3.3g is considered added sugar as the rest comes from natural sources. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women have no more that 25g and men have no more than 36g of “added sugar” per day. “added sugar” as defined by the FDA is: “sugars that are added during processing, or found in packaged sweeteners, syrups, honey, and concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. They do not include naturally occurring sugars found in milk, fruits, and vegetables.” (see above section on low sugar for more info).

Macro Balanced at 40/30/30

This recipe follows a macro split of 40% Carbohydrates (Carbs) 30% Fat and 30% Protein (Macros are a shortened way of saying Macronutrients which is the amount of Protein, Fats and Carbohydrates Learn More about macros and what you should be Clicking Here (after you eat your delicious homemade high protein yogurt with mixed berries, of course.

Tips for Making the Best Macro-Friendly Yogurt

• Greek Yogurt Options: 2% Greek yogurt was used here to balance macros but if your store doesn’t have it in stock, swap for the next best or personal preference. Choose plain Greek yogurt brand you like. Usually I pick the 2% trusted brand on sale while making sure there are no unwanted added ingredients, however plant-based greek yogurts like coconut or soy can be a great alternative for vegan options, if you’re watching macros be careful of added sugars, soy tends to he higher protein and opt for the probiotic one for added benefits, if available.
• Berry Varieties: Use a mix of your favorite berries or what’s in season to keep things interesting. Cherries or swapping for other fruits you enjoy is a fine substitute. My oldest son loves mangoes and cherries while my youngest prefers kiwi and pomegranate.
• Hemp Seed Alternatives: If you prefer lower fat, try reducing or replacing with 1/2 tsp ground flax seed powder, which will lower the fat content while adding omegas into the nutritional profile.
• Meal Prep: Measure out the yogurt and mixed berries, keep refrigerated, and portion out granola and hemp seeds for quick breakfasts or snacks throughout the week. Your future hangry self thanks you.

Perfectly Balanced Breakfast or Filling Snack

This Macro-Friendly Yogurt with Mixed Berries is a deliciously nutritious way to curb hunger while supporting your health and fitness goals without sacrificing taste. It packed with protein, healthy fats, and age-defying carbs makes it the perfect gut healthy meal or snack for anyone looking to maintain a balanced diet.

References

• (2021) “Berries Are Among The Healthiest Foods You Can Eat”, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Rimm, Eric (2021) “Why Fresh Berries are the Most Healthy, Age-Fighting Foods Around”, The Washington Post
• Spritzler, Franziska (2019), “11 Reasons Why Berries are Among the Healthiest Foods on Earth”, Healthline.com
• Divya Jacob, Pharm. D. (2024), “Does Natural Sugar Count Toward Daily Intake”. MedicineNet

What Did You Think?

Have you tried our Macro-Friendly Yogurt with Mixed Berries? Let us know how it turned out in the comments below! Don’t forget to share this recipe with friends and check out more healthy options on our blog for meal inspiration!

Here is a quick, Pintrest friendly Recipe Card Image to keep in your digital recipe box.

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