The 3 Smoothie Rules You Need to Know...

We’ve all heard that classic line: “Don’t skip breakfast - it’s the most important meal of the day!”

Unfortunately, many of us live busy and hectic lifestyles, and for whatever other reasons, breakfast can end up getting forgotten somewhere along the way…

The answer? It’s as simple as a quick, healthy and delicious smoothie - for an on-the-go solution that won’t slow you down!

I personally like to wake up each morning to this well-balanced cocktail:

The other day one of my Meal Pals admitted to missing one too many breakfasts lately, and then mentioned how she loved smoothies. She figured it would make sense to schedule shakes (rather than typical "breakfast recipes") for a nutritious yet efficient morning meal!

I made sure to warn her of a few things...and now I’m going to share these tips with YOU.

Here's my ultimate 3-step guide to follow when replacing a meal with a shake:

1. First things first: AVOID THE SUGAR RUSH! There’s no point loading up in endless grams of sugar first thing in the morning...that will only lead to a sharp crash later on in the morning, and totally throw you out of whack. Instead, opt for smoothies with fruits that are lower on the glycemic index, like berries! Or better yet - load up on VEGGIES - they have an alkalizing effect which is great to take advantage of first thing in the morning to keep you feeling energized all day long. Did you know you can put squash in a smoothie? You do now!

2. Make sure there’s FAT. You heard right - fat is essential as it will help keep you satiated throughout the day. Instead of filling you up for all of 20 minutes, add a healthy fat like avocado or a nut butter to keep you fuller longer. This Key Lime Treat Smoothie is guaranteed to keep you going until lunch time:

3. Get your PROTEIN in! The morning is as good a time as ever to fuel up your body for the day ahead, so make sure you don’t forget to check that your shake has at the very least 10-15 grams of protein. If your shake happens to have less than 10 grams of protein, I recommend supplementing your meal with another snack to keep things in balance. Holistic Nutritionist Haley Whitley from 18grains has a great balanced recipe for the morning: an Almond Date Smoothie alongside Pesto Toast. For increasing your protein intake, powders like whey are an obvious choice (vegan options include brown rice, hemp, pea protein, etc.) - but feel free to get creative and experiment with foods like tofu, greek yogurt, or chia seeds! This super creamy smoothie gets its protein (and delicious texture) from silken tofu:

Now you’re officially ready to smoothie-it-up in a well-balanced fashion - no more excuses for skipping breakfast!

Let’s get planning.

smoothies

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