Banana Soothie - The Best Diet for Morning

I think a smoothie is a great way to get a lot of good nutrition in one go. I usually drink one for breakfast. I get about 5–6 servings of fruits and veggies with this smoothie. Here are some benefits:

• You can get a good mix of all the macro-nutrients (carbs, fat and protein) along with vitamins, minerals and fiber from whatever fruit and veggies you put inside.
• Quick to prepare - takes less than 5 minutes to make
• It goes down very easily and you don’t feel heavy after consumption
• Tastes great!

I also include kefir, which tastes similar to yogurt (sour) but has some more benefits:

• Has a more runny consistency, already smoothie like to begin with
• Contains more probiotic (micro-organisms/good bacteria) strains than yogurt (around 40 compared to around 5 with yogurt)
• Probiotic strains in yogurt are more likely to pass through while probiotic strains in kefir are more likely to colonize your gut, providing longer term benefits

I take kefir to keep my gut (gut flora) healthy. The probiotics inside kefir see to that. Your gut is more important than you realize. Having good gut health offers many benefits:

• Prevents harmful bacteria from spreading - the good bacteria in your gut can inhibit growth of harmful bacteria by taking resources or by secreting substances that damage or kill harmful bacteria
• Stronger immune system - can help regulate production of antibodies in your immune system and can create a selective barrier in your stomach that prevents the passage of harmful bacteria into the rest of your body
• More efficient metabolism - you can more efficiently convert carbohydrates into energy with the help of gut flora
• And the coolest (though not as well understood) benefit: a better brain.
• There have been studies to suggest that having good gut flora can increase mental stability, reduce anxiety and depression and may help people with schizophrenia, autism and Parkinson’s.
• It may also increase certain aspects of memory

There’s my long rant on kefir. So, finally, my daily morning smoothie (reduce amounts if you need less). This comes out to be around 300–350 calories:

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)
• 1–2 cups leafy greens (usually both kale and spinach)
• 1 cup low fat kefir
• 1/2 cup water

Throw it in a blender until smooth and enjoy!

By Joshua Yi