Some of us have citrus fruit phobia or past dieting traumas from the messages of “fruit causes fat gain” or “fruit is way too sugary”.
I even remember a time about 10-12 years ago when I myself was fearful to eat bananas and other citrus fruits such as pineapple. But this was the height of the everybody-do-low-carb kraze and I was testing the limits of my own carb threshold and metabolic efficiency.
Unfortunately, this nutrition era got many of us female endurance athletes into a low energy availability (LEA) state because we inadvertently reduced energy intake way too low, resulting in a host of systemic issues such as thyroid dysfunction, gut problems, and weight gain. <— The result most of us feared ended up happening anyway.
Fast forward to current times, we want to be sure we are meeting our energy needs to prevent the chronic LEA state and heyyyy, #carbsarenotevil. However, carbohydrate variety and carb quality, along with nutrient timing and periodization aspects, all make for a good recipe to ensure us female athletes are fueled well throughout our lives for health AND performance.
There is way more to the carb story than its sugar content so if you’ve been in the hyper-focused mode of ‘carbs are bad’ and ‘fruits are not good either’, it’s time to chat and get some perspective and context going appropriate to your health and fitness goals.
In the meantime, we can work on chunking away at our carb+citrusfruit phobia by varying the kinds of fruits in our daily nutrition pattern… and let’s get to the main feature of this post: a yummy mango mix!
Chia YoMango Recipe Ingredients to make 4 Servings:
2.5 c (580 ml) milk of choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk but use a protein milk if you need/want more protein!)
~1.25 c (~240 gm) fresh or frozen mango (I used 3 fresh yellow mangos, see pic below. You have to peel these and cut the fruit from the pit if you’re new to working with fresh mango)
1.5 c (~255 gm) organic Greek yogurt 0% fat (I used this one, but just choose the highest protein Greek yogurt you can find which should have >17 grams per cup)
1 scoop of vanilla whey isolate protein powder (~20 grams of protein by content; I use Thorne but you can use your preferred protein, although I do suggest a vanilla flavor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c (100 gm) old-fashioned whole grain oats, dry
4 Tbsp (40 gm) chia seeds (in 1 Tbsp goes in 4 separate containers)
optional cinnamon and unsweetened coconut flakes for topping
Preparation steps:
Blend milk, yogurt, vanilla extract, and mango in a blender until well mixed. You’ll need at least a 1 liter size blender container since it may froth up a bit.
In 4 separate containers or Mason jars (pint size and make sure they have good-fitting lids), add 1/4 cup dry oats and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. Alternatively, you can add these as a “middle layer” after filling the jars halfway with the blended mixture (step #3) and then top up the jars with the remaining mixture.
Evenly distribute the blended mixture into the four jars.
Put on the lids and shake each one really well to mix OR stir with a spoon if you don’t like your chia seeds to clumpy-lumpy. I usually do the shake and the stir to mix well. Top with cinnamon and/or unsweetened coconut flakes.
Keep in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy over the next handful of days.
Basic nutritional info per serving:
34 gm carbohydrate
8 gm fiber
19 gm protein
7 gm fat
~275 calories
~1.5:1 ratio of carb to protein
This is a creamy and “whip-like” texture with a decent level of sweetness. Consider using it as a mid-afternoon snack or after a workout when the next meal isn’t happening for at least a few hours.
I do have another similar recipe here on the blog that doesn’t contain yogurt which you can view here. They are both good!
Let me know if you try it! And remember that you can enjoy fruit as a part of your daily pattern and also reap the benefits of a good source of carbohydrate and micronutrients!
Dina