So... even though walnuts and almonds are very healthy, i've decided to cut my calories a bit and stop putting them on my Greek yogurt/berries i have for lunch, kinda makes me sad because they're so good for you and low CARB which is important to me and good fats, of course

Any ideas to add a bit of CRUNCH to my yogurt w/out blowing it w/calories and maybe as important, any low carb options? Can't think of anything right now but cereal which is too high carb/sugar

thanks

I used to tip Greek yoghurt on diet jelly(jello), oh yum, it was like having cream on it. You could try making a low fat crumble to go on top of it, with a handful of minute oats, a sprinkle of brown sugar and a little coconut. If you only use a tiny amount it shouldn't add up to much.

Maybe TVP (textured vegetable protien). Essentially little soy crunchies. Reminds me of grapenuts cereal.

A tablespoon of grape nuts.

Soy nuts.

I have a big batch of zuke in the dehydrator with all kinds of flavors.

Pumpkin seeds.

Just tossing out some random ideas.

I like to add a little of the original Fiber One to my yogurt. It is low in sugar but not carbs so that may not work for you.

I also like to add sugar free jelly or jam but that's more of a sweet add in, not crunchy.

I still use nuts, but chop them in a food processor or buy them already chopped. That way it takes fewer nuts to provide the crunch. Sunflower seeds work nicely too.

I like the crunch of tvp, but usually mix it with granola (Nature Valley protein granola), chopped nuts, and/or craisins, because tvp on its own is pretty bland. If the yogurt is already flavored the tvp alone is fine.

I make my own yogurt now though so it's never flavored until I add ingredients to the serving dish, a single serving at a time.

You could try Chia seeds.

In liquid, chia seeds turn to a gel-like slime which could be a textural problem. The gel does make a good replacement for egg and/or fat in baking recipes.

True, but in yogurt I find the texture hardly noticeable and the center part of the seed stays crunchy.

I don't mind it either, but I thought I should mention it, because hubby gagged when he tried some pudding I had made with chia seeds stirred in. I asked how he could even distinguish it from the pudding, and he said, "I just can, and it feels slippery, like snot, with sesame seeds in it."

Also, if you're not prepared for the gelling effect, it can be disconcerting. The first time I bought chia seeds, I thought they were like any sprouting seeds, so I put them in water to soak overnight. When I checked them in the morning, I thought they had "gone bad," so I dumped the whole lot - and the seeds were really expensive at the time. This was before the internet, so I didn't find out the slime was normal until a few weeks later.

Granola is probably out of the question - but it probably depends on how low you're trying to LC and how much topping you add. I've gotten on a greek yogurt + homemade granola kick lately that's delicious... but maybe too indulgent, so I'm trying to evaluate how to tweak it. I've found a couple recipes for high-protein granola that swap the small amount of flour for protein powder, which is really intriguing - if it tastes decent, that sounds like a good improvement. I put sliced almonds in my granola. Adding some coconut too might bring the carb amount down.

How about chopped apples?

I like 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries on mine.

It depends on the granola you use. You can find some very low-carb granolas on low-carb grocery sites, and even in local health food stores and occasionally in local groceries.

Nature Valley Protein Crunchy Granola, which I've found in several grocery store chains. A full size serving (50g) is rather high at 29 net carbs, but I usually only use about 10g as a topping for about 6g.

I can find much lower carb granolas in health food stores though.

Reilly, did you settle up on a new alternative?

I got around to experimenting with upgrading my granola recipe last night, where I swapped out the small amount of flour with whey protein. (I wasn't sure how much strong the whey protein taste would be, so instead of a 1 to 1 swap of flour for whey, I used half whey, half almond meal for a first try.)

It's good! I'd give some macro amounts, but I don't have high confidence in my final measurements (and Loseit won't accept 950 grams as a valid measurement, anyway ). My rough calcs suggest that it might be around 15c for 1/4 cup, with a few grams fiber, but who knows. That might be too high for you, Reilly - but your own granola might still be an option. I sweeten with maple syrup, which adds quite a few carbs. I'll have to try again once I've eaten this batch and see if 100% whey is palatable to me. I'm thrilled, though - it's a great improvement over the homemade granola I've been eating! And crazy cheap.