Breakfast Smoothies To Rock Your AMs.

Breakfast can sometimes be hard to squeeze in… especially when you sleep in, haven’t worked out what you are wearing for the day, can’t find your socks for the evening gym session and are finding it hard to even locate your mascara (or for the boys: your deodorant), let alone cook your oats. If you can at least get something right in the morning, it will be leaving the house looking vaguely presentable - forget boiling an egg!

We are all well aware that breakfast ignites your metabolism and skipping meals in general raises your stress hormones, breaks down muscle and encourages your body to store fat rather than burn it. 

More to the point – you might find that the supposedly ‘healthy’ breakfasts you are eating (e.g. Weet-bix and skim milk with a drizzle of honey) are stalling your weight loss efforts. Cereals are often loaded with common allergens – think wheat, soy and gluten - and they're usually full of sugar. Did you know that Special K has more sugar than a block of Lindt 85% Dark Chocolate? (Note: Anything more than 15g of sugar per 100g is very high - if you can't do without cereal for brekkie go for something less than 10g per 100g)

For those rushing to find the perfect breakfast bite, breakfast smoothies are an excellent option. Don’t worry about investing in a whizz bang blender, a little hand held stab mixer should suffice and is so much easier to clean up after!

So what would a smoothie that delivers more than the average ‘Up and Go’ include?

1. Protein

A high quality, clean protein powder is an excellent option for busy city slickers like us! Protein powders should not be relegated to the likes of body builders, as they are a wonderful source of essential amino acids. There are so many to choose from - Pea, Rice and Whey Protein to name a few. My choice would be one WITHOUT artificial sweeteners and less than 5g of sugar per 100g serve. There should be at least 20g of protein in each serving too. I tend to rotate these protein powders from week-to-week to give my body variety and ensure my system doesn’t become overly sensitive to one if I go O.T.T

2. High Fibre, Low G.I Carbohydrates

This is as simple as chucking in a handful of berries. Your best bet for these would be to buy the berries when they are in season and prices are low and then chuck them in the freezer, OR buy the pre-frozen variety. The berries then double as ice, which thickens your shake and delivers a nice cold hit of goodness in the morning! Nutritionally the berries provide a slow and sustained release of energy and stabilise blood sugar levels, so you're not reaching for the ‘low fat muffin’ (which is pretty much guaranteed to make you put on fat, by the way) come 10AM.

3. FIBRE: Pile the stuff in please!

I like to whizz up some flax or chia seeds and grind it to a meal first before adding it into my smoothie. I hesitate to buy pre-ground flax seeds, as the oils in the seeds are so delicate, they invariably go rancid after one hour of being ground up. Not so good when your ‘flaxmeal’ has been sitting in storage for a few months. 

4. Healthy Fat

For me this comes in the form of coconut milk mixed with water. Coconut Milk is rich in lauric acid, which is known for its wonderful antiviral properties – a plus for those with delicate tummies! Again – fat keeps you full, stabilises blood sugar levels and is fabulous for hormonal health and kicking those winter blues. 

5. Spice

That’s right; make your morning glass of nutrients aromatic by adding cloves or cinnamon to the mix. Interestingly, both these herbs top the ORAC scale in antioxidant level, far surpassing the mass marketed Amazonian berries.

Still lost? Here are some fab examples to try....

Choc Raspberry Smoothie

1. ¾ Cup Raspberries
2. 3 Cups of Raw Baby Spinach, stems removed (you can’t taste it. ...promise)
3. 2 scoops of protein powder (yep that’s two - don’t be scared)
4. 1 tbs of ground flax seeds
5. 1 ½ cups Almond or Coconut Milk
6. 1 tsp of Raw Cacao 
7. 1 heaped tsp of Coconut Oil

Blend and serve!

Aromatic Blueberry Smoothie

1. ¾ cup Blueberries
2. 2 scoops of protein powder
3. 1 tbs of ground chia seeds
4. 1 ½ cups of Almond or Coconut Milk
5. ¼ tsp of fresh ground cloves
6. 1 tsp of cinnamon

Blend and Serve!

So that’s it… 5 steps to your perfect breakfast beverage - and you've managed to avoid the hidden nasties in most ‘cereal offenders’. Too easy? You bet! 

Holly McBride is a freelance health writer and active contributor to Bondi BUF. She's a girl with a passion for reading between the lines to discover what is truly healthy and helpful. For more recipes, ideas and healthy inspirations from Holly, visit healthywholeholly.wordpress.com