Healthy Fats Breakfast Smoothie

If you take anything away from this post, it should be that healthy fats promote brain function (ie. memory, brain development, cognitive ability…). Our society has become overwhelmed with bad fat sources and have since given all fats a bad name that they simply do not deserve. Recent studies have proven that saturated fats are not necessarily to blame for poor heart health. Coconuts are a great source of saturated fats that our body can actually utilize. Ice cream, fried chicken, donuts and French fries contain saturated fat that the body just cannot process efficiently. With these abundant fat sources in our grocery shops, it can be hard to get in good fats that the body needs to promote brain function (and brain development in kids). I created this recipe to do just that! Start our day with healthy fats so we function intently all day long.

Ingredients:

1 cup Water
1 cup Broccoli Slaw
1 cup Frozen Tropical Fruits
1 Frozen Banana
1 Fresh Avocado
1 tbs Chia Seeds
1 tbs Flax Seeds
1 tbs Coconut Oil
1 tbs Beef Gelatin
1 serving Liquid Protein

Process:

1. Start by blending water with broccoli slaw, tropical fruit, banana and avocado. Blend until the fruit is broken up.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until just mixed, not too long or the ingredients could lose some of their nutritional value.

This recipe is enough for two people, or one adult and two kids. Sometimes I put the leftover serving in the fridge for the next day, but the longer it sits, the more the nutrition value decreases; and the more the chia seeds sit, the more the texture of the drink changes.

Benefits:

Water: we should all drink water in the morning. For the smoothie, this helps the fruits to break down easier.

Broccoli slaw: this is a favorite of mine. It can be found in the salad section of your grocer. It’s usually made with broccoli, carrots and cabbage, all vegetables with fiber. Broccoli contains sulforaphane which helps prevent cancer. Broccoli is also good for skin, eyes, gut health, cardiovascular system and has lots of Vitamin C. Carrots reduce your risk of cancer, lower cholesterol and improve eye health. They are rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin K, potassium and antioxidants. Red Cabbage has high Vitamin C content, good for reducing inflammation and risk of heart disease, needed for making collagen in the body to support muscles and promote healing, and an antioxidant. It also contains Vitamin A for eye health and Vitamin K, which reduces your risk to develop osteoporosis. Combining all three veggies into one delicious Bag was a brilliants idea. Because they are already shredded, they are easier to blend into smoothies.

Frozen Tropical Fruits: besides their Vitamin C content, in this recipe they are used for taste. Frozen fruits in smoothies help me to drink them since it keeps the drink cold. Tropical fruits tend to have low sugar, so they were the fruit of choice for this smoothie.

Frozen Banana: talk about a fruit high in sugar. 😬 But I have yet to make a smoothie without a banana that still taste good. In this recipe, a frozen banana is utilized for texture and as a natural source of sugar.

Avocado: this fruit is starting to be known as a superfood for a good reason. It gives any smoothie a more creamy feel, and is full of 20 different vitamins and minerals. They have more potassium than bananas and a very high amount of mono-saturated fats, fats that have been understood as healthy and needed in our bodies for years!
Chia Seeds: A great source of omega-3 fatty acids helps to keep the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in our body balanced. These tiny seeds are full of fiber, iron, calcium and antioxidants.
Flax Seeds: One of the most powerful plant foods on the planet, but it mimics a lot of the same benefits as chia seeds. It is known to reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes because it is a source of omega-3’s, fiber and antioxidants.
Coconut Oil: One of the only sources of healthy saturated fats, coconuts provide unique benefits. They provide MCTs, which are a quick source of energy and great for the brain! Populations who eat lots of coconut, like a tribe in the South Pacific, are found to have better health and low rates of heart disease. Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, great for detoxing because it kills harmful microorganisms.
Beef Gelatin: this contains collagen, which is great for digestion, better skin, hair, nails, bone and joint health. It’s one of the best sources of glycerin, which is good for your gut health by repairing your intestinal wall and sealing the gut lining.
Liquid Protein: These are some protein samples we got and are trying to use up. I like the liquid because I think it mixes better, but substituting with whatever protein powder you have in your cabinet would be a good alternative, too. I added in the protein because that is one thing this smoothie was missing that is good for replenishing muscles and healing the body.