We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There are more than 31 million Americans who skip it every single day. Why? Most of them say; they are just too busy to make something to eat.
Eating (or drinking) your breakfast can be super simple and it only takes you 5 minutes. How? Simple…..smoothies. Let us take a look at why smoothies are the perfect breakfast choice.
If you combine the ingredients in the right way, a smoothie can be a powerful nutritional bomb. Make sure you add enough protein and good fat and it will provide you with satiety and enough energy for the next few hours. Great protein and healthy fat sources to include in your recipe are:
- coconut oil or milk
- natural yogurt, cottage cheese
- avocado
- natural nut butters
- natural protein powders (hemp, peas)
Make sure you measure all the ingredients. Many people forget about this and throw everything they can find in the blender.
Remember, it does not matter that you drink a smoothie – calories are still calories, so make sure they come from the right source. Do not add sugar, pop drinks and processed foods to your mixture – you will ruin your smoothie and fill your body with extra calories it does not need.
If you do not feel full after your smoothie or you are just worried you will get hungry really fast, try this little trick: add some rolled oats to your blender. The result will be a thicker smoothie because starch from oatmeal absorbs some of the liquid. Satiety guaranteed!
A morning smoothie is a great way to add liquid to your body. Do you often wake up very tired and not rested at all? Sometimes the reason for this is because your body is dehydrated. Overnight, your body can lose as much as one liter of sweat and you have to replace it somehow. So make sure you add quality liquid to your smoothie. You can use:
- cold water
- freshly squeezed fruit juices
- coconut, almond or soy milk
- nonfat Greek yogurt
- kefir
Make sure you do not add store bought juices as they are usually filled with extra sugar and additives you do not need.
Your breakfast smoothie can be a great way to add greens to your daily diet. Adding greens, such as spinach, kale, parsley or cucumbers will add nutritional value to your smoothie and make sure you get your daily dose of minerals and vitamins. Just one warning – if you are new to the smoothie world, make sure you gradually add greens to the smoothie. Kale, for example, can be bitter and adding too much too quickly will ruin your flavor. So make sure you take one step at a time. If you want to know my favorite nutritional powder that I add to some of my smoothies; check it out here.
Smoothies are the perfect breakfast!! Give it a try. You will see that it is super easy. All you need is a good blender, the right quality ingredients and a few minutes of your morning time.
