Kefir is yogurt with attitude, fewer calories and less sugar
I eat 3/4 cup of blueberries, 3/4 cup of strawberries with 1 cup of mixed berry Activia (1.5 per cent milk fat, with no artificial sweeteners) and a 1/4 cup of fruit and nut granola cereal mix from Longos. Can I pump up my breakfast?
I see you value the importance of gut health, as you are choosing Activia, a yogurt with added probiotic bacteria. Probiotic bacteria, or probiotics, are beneficial for gut health, as they inhibit the growth of unfriendly, disease-causing bacteria. While Danone’s Activia is good for the digestive system, it has a long ingredient list that includes starchy fillers and added sugar (it doesn’t come in a plain, unsweetened version). Activia contains about 34 grams of sugar per 1 cup.
To pump up your breakfast, let’s look at kefir. It’s a fermented milk product that’s similar to yogurt but has a thinner texture. Think of kefir as yogurt with attitude: plain kefir has fewer calories, less sugar and more protein than your Activia. It’s also generally richer in probiotic bacteria than yogurt.
Let’s replace your sugar-laden berry and yogurt breakfast with a coconut, banana and almond kefir breakfast bowl. This will amp up the pro- tein and fat and decrease the sugar without increasing calories.
Kefir breakfast bowl
Star Tested 1 cup (250 mL) kefir 1 frozen banana, chopped 1 tbsp (15 mL) hemp hearts 1 tbsp (15 mL) whole almonds 1 tsp (5 mL) chia seeds 1 tsp (5 mL) unsweetened coconut flakes
Combine kefir, frozen banana and hemp hearts in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl and top with almonds, chia seeds and coconut flakes.