Top Tips for Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

(source)

The most used birthday present I’ve ever been given was a nutribullet – for the last 2 months since owning it I’ve had breakfast smoothies nearly every single day! Though there’s been a lot of hype in the press about them, both positive and negative, I’ve been really enjoying them and finding a way to cram in extra fruit and vegetables into your diet can’t be a bad thing?

Here I’ve listed some of my top tips for creating the perfect healthy breakfast smoothies that I’ve tried and tested over the last two months which will hopefully help you boost your mood, pack in the nutrients and leave you energised and fulfilled each morning.

1. Balance your fruit with vegetables

A lot of the negative press surrounding smoothies is about the high levels of sugar that can occur in them. If you filled your entire cup with berries and orange juice, this would be true, so make sure that you balance out your sweet fruits with at least 50:50 vegetables. My favourites are kale, spinach, spring greens and carrots but I always find it best to whizz up the vegetables with water first, and then add in your softer fruit – it makes the whole thing much smoother! Broccoli, celery and other vegetables also work, but I find they don’t whizz up as smooth as leafy greens do. Having a balance of fruit and vegetables keeps the sugar content down, gives a balance of different nutrients and lends itself to an overall lower calorie breakfast.

2. Make it creamy

The best two ingredients for making a thick and creamy smoothie are bananas or avocados. One small banana, or half a ripe avocado will work wonders, but no more than that is necessary. You can also freeze bananas pretty effectively which will chill your smoothie without needing ice cubes.

3. Up the ice

I love having a really cold smoothie in the morning and often take mine into work to drink at my desk. Therefore between making it and drinking it sometimes there can be a gap of about 40 minutes, making ice essential to keep it cool. For more guidance on blenders that can handle frozen ingredients or ice, see this handy guide from EasyHealthySmoothie.

4. Boost it with nuts and seeds

Adding a variety of nuts and seeds will give your smoothie a boost of protein and nutrients as well as good fats which make your smoothie smoother and keep you full for longer.

5. Variety is the key

Using different fruits and vegetables will help you get an even amount of nutrients and health benefits from the varying components. I try my best to use what’s locally in season. If you’re into green smoothies, be sure to rotate the greens every couple of weeks. This will also keep your smoothies new and exciting and prevent smoothie boredom.

6. It’s all about the base

The base of your smoothie has to be some sort of liquid – water works fine but you can also use a mix of water and juices, or coconut water, nut milk or cows milk. If you want a really thick smoothie add slightly less liquid, but I usually have quite a significant amount as it makes the smoothie last longer and fully hydrates you first thing in the morning.

7. Avoid an ingredient overload

Think about what you’d normally eat for breakfast when filling up your cup. If you’d not normally eat a bunch of bananas, a punnet of berries, an avocado, a cup of nuts and seeds, an apple, half a carton of coconut water, and an entire bag of spinach in one sitting, don’t put it all in your breakfast smoothie! Use the rule of 1/4 veg, 1/4 fruit, 1/8 nuts and seeds, 1/4 ice and the rest your base – be it water, juice or a milk of your choice.

Do you own a nutribullet to make breakfast smoothies? I’d love to know your favourite recipes!