I have been having a version of this breakfast almost every day for the last 15 years. Each time I gain more information, the recipe is adjusted. For instance, this year I am going with a head of steamed broccoli as a side dish, rather than directly in the smoothie. Having learned from reading Breath by James Nestor, that it is essential for our breathing to exercise our jaw muscles, the broccoli, lightly steamed, including the stalks, is eaten alongside the smoothie. It’s an acquired taste.
The idea of the smoothie is to have the right mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, along with needed vitamins and nutrients, to get my body quickly up to speed. I stay away from simple sugars as they spike my blood glucose levels. Thus, I don’t add any ripe banana, dates, or other high fruit sugars.
Protein Base
The base of the smoothie is protein powder. I try to change it up, from organic grass-fed whey-based powder to vegan plant-based protein every few days. The pea-based protein powders can be difficult for me to digest. To aid with that I will take an Enzymedica Digest Gold along with the smoothie. I will add enough of either the whey or vegetable based powders to get me 20-30 grams of protein. This may be more than you need depending on your weight and activity levels. For me, at 62 years old and 168 lbs with strength training 5x per week, that seems to work. It is important with these sorts of measurements of macros to understand that we are all different, and what may work for me may not work as well for you.
The macros of this breakfast are 25.6 g protein, 38 g carbs, 15 g fat. 383 calories.
Vitamix Blender
The blender I use is a refurbished Vitamix 7500 that I bought discounted on eBay. The regular sort of everyday common blenders were not strong enough to do the job with all the ingredients I put in. This particular Vitamix has been in daily use here for over 7 years and it is working great. It is a strong beasty appliance that I recommend if you really want to whip your smoothies up.
Recipe
24 oz water
20-25 grams of protein powder. Either vegan or organic grass-fed whey powder.
1/2 large organic avocado. Good source of monounsaturated fat.
2 heaping teaspoons of ground flaxseed or flax meal. Good for omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. Note: If you are using pre-ground flax, refrigerate or freeze the unused portion as the oils will go rancid at room temperature.
2 teaspoons of wild organic blueberries. High in anti-oxidant anthocyanins flavonoids.
1 heaping teaspoon of cacao. Also high in flavonoids, and I like the way it makes me feel.
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder. A powerful anti-inflammatory. When I can I try to purchase a large 1 lb bag rather than the spice bottle size. Note that this stuff will stain anything it touches and it seems to get everywhere. In fact, this smoothie is a massive food dye. Beware of white cloths around it.
Ground black pepper. Helps activate the turmeric’s anti-inflammatory effect.
1/2 green banana. Potassium and carbohydrate energy. The green ones have a much lower glycemic index than the ripe ones. If I know I am having an intense physical morning, maybe cross country skiing or something like that, I’ll have the entire banana.
On the side, I eat an entire head of lightly steamed broccoli.
Let’s share some recipes. Is anyone else having something like this for breakfast?
Yes! Great recipe, David.
Here’s mine:
1 cup of water
handful of fresh mint
handful of cilantro (good for the liver)
1 cup of fresh spinach
1 lemon, peeled
1 carrot
1 cooked beet
1/2 apple, cored
ginger juice (I juice raw ginger in a high powdered juicer and freeze in an ice cube tray to use in smoothies)
3 tbsp hemp hearts (or protein powder of choice)
2 tbsp ground flax
1 packet Elaine Wellness grass-fed bovine collagen
1/2 banana
Blend in a Vitamix and enjoy!
Wow! Yours is amazing, much better than mine! I need to up my smoothie game!
1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 cups organic baby spinach, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 scoop amazing grass vanilla protein powder, I scoop collagen powder, 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (optional), I tsp organic almond butter.
I’m surprised at the use of animal products. There are any number of ways to be healthy and not kill animals.
Hi Gretchen,
Not sure what you are seeing here, but there is nothing in this that kills animals. The whey is milk-based, but I only use that because of my intolerance for most vegan protein powders, otherwise, it is entirely vegan.
d
Dates are actually low glycemic, so adding one will not spike your blood sugar
My current favorite –
1 c almond milk
1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen peptides
Handful spinach
1 T ground flaxseed
1 T cacao powder
1 T peanut butter
2 t maple syrup
Half cooked beet
1 c frozen blueberries
I applaud you for not adding any extra sugars, but I have a sweet tooth!
Here’s mine:
1 peeled orange
1 peeled lemon
1 handful of washed organic spinach
1 cup of frozen triple berries
1 T ground flax
2 scoops Orgain protein powder
1/2 cup unsweetened tart cherry juice
1/2 cup non dairy milk of your choice
Blend!