Watch how it’s made
Every step in 1:20 — from the ingredients to the finished dish.
This is a five-minute breakfast for mornings when cooking is out of the question. Greek yogurt provides 22 grams of protein, walnuts provide omega-3 fats and a satisfying crunch, and cinnamon provides most of the flavour without a gram of sugar.
It is worth saying plainly that cinnamon is not a treatment for diabetes. Studies on its effect on blood glucose are mixed and the effects reported are small. What cinnamon does reliably is make food taste sweeter than it is, which makes it genuinely useful when you are trying to enjoy an unsweetened bowl of yogurt.
Why walnuts specifically
Walnuts are the only common nut with a meaningful amount of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant form of omega-3 fat, at around 2.5 grams per ounce. They also carry almost no digestible carbohydrate, so the two tablespoons here add fat, protein and crunch without moving the glucose numbers.
Almonds, pecans and pistachios all work as substitutes with similar effects. What matters more than the specific nut is that it is unsalted and unroasted in sugar, since honey-roasted and candied varieties defeat the purpose.
The flaxseed is not optional filler
A tablespoon of ground flaxseed adds about 2 grams of fiber and a further dose of alpha-linolenic acid. It has to be ground to be useful, since whole flaxseed passes through largely undigested, and it should be kept in the refrigerator because the oils go rancid at room temperature within a few weeks.
Chia seeds are an acceptable substitute and keep better, though they will thicken the yogurt noticeably if the bowl sits for more than a few minutes.
On the apple
Half a diced apple adds roughly 12 grams of carbohydrate and a couple of grams of fiber. Leaving the skin on matters, since much of the fiber is in it. Apples have a glycemic index around 38, which is low, and eaten alongside 22 grams of protein the effect is gentler still.
Berries are the lower-carbohydrate alternative if you want fruit but not that much of it. Half a cup of raspberries adds around 7 grams, most of it fiber.