Start your day right with an all-day Energy Smoothie!
Feeding your body and your mind is a great way to fight off some of the blues, or just give yourself a healthy hug. This is why Josh, our Executive Head Chef , has suggested this fantastic high energy smoothie to have first thing in the morning, giving you boost you need.
Ingredients (Serves 1):
- 1/2 a Ripe Avocado
- 2 Handfuls of Spinach
- 1 Handful of Kale
- ½ Cucumber
- ½ Banana
- 200ml Almond Milk
- 3 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 50g Almonds (Pre-soak for a smoother smoothie)
- 25g Cashews (Pre-soak for a smoother smoothie)
- 1 tbsp Sunflower Seeds
- 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
- A Handful of Ice
Method
- Blend all ingredients in a blender!
Now for the good stuff about the smoothie:
High Healthy Fat Content:
The inclusion of avocado, almond milk, almonds, Banana, cashews, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, coconut oil and even the kale and spinach, means that only the cucumber is not high in omega oils.
Fats, and especially omega 3s are a class of food whose primary purpose is to provide the body with energy.
Consuming a diet rich in healthy fats is good as part of a healthy balanced diet. This is because fat is a source of essential fatty acids which we can not make ourselves. Fat is needed to help the body absorb vitamin A, D and E, all of which are only fat-soluble.
High Protein Content:
This smoothie contains 17.3g per serve – not too bad for a 100% vegan smoothie!
High Fibre Content:
Fibre is an indispensable component in the energy production factory in the body. Fibre helps slow the breakdown of and absorption of sugar from high carb/high GI foods.
The fibre from the spinach, kale, nuts and seeds is awesome. You will be getting 11.5g of fibre per serve of this super-smoothie.
That’s almost half of your daily requirement for a woman, and over a third for a man!
Blood Sugar Balance:
Having a balanced blood sugar level is critical to having sustained energy.
Foods that lead to a strong, fast blood sugar peak after consumption are called high glycemic index foods. These foods may give a quick burst of energy for the first hour or so after eating them, but research shows that this energy burst often goes down just as quickly, resulting in a slump or low energy feeling within a couple of hours after the meal.
This smoothie is packed with low-glycemic index foods. These foods release energy slowly, resulting in a smaller change in the blood sugar level and a steadier, longer-lasting feeling of energy.
Nutrients for Energy Transfer & Storage:
The cells in our body that are responsible for energy production, transfer and storage require a wide range of nutrients to support their proper functioning.
This smoothie has all of them. B vitamins, magnesium, iron, sulphur, co-enzyme Q10, and heaps of others all to give your body a brilliant boost.
