Breakfast of Champions

superfood smoothies

Breakfast is the meal of champions they say, so I’m always curious about people who claim that a cup of coffee in the morning is enough. I’m not so sure gold medals are won on caffeine alone… erythropoietin maybe, but not just caffeine (sorry not sorry Lance Armstrong).

I understand not wanting to eat in the mornings – I used to be that way in high school, but those were my teenage body issues talking rather than genuinely not being hungry. Contrary to my high school convictions, not eating in the morning doesn’t actually help you lose weight. In fact, it does exactly the opposite. A wholesome breakfast kick starts your digestion and therefore your metabolism, and it feeds your body all the vitamins and minerals it needs to function at optimum level. Note wholesome – Cocopops and Fruit Loops don’t count! If you skip breakfast – or any other meal – you signal to your brain that the body is ‘starving’. This can trigger the stress hormone cortisol, which is a major obstruction to good digestive health and weightloss, as well as a whole host of other problems.

I’m a big fan of smoothies for brekkie, and for those of you who don’t like to eat in the mornings, this is usually a good compromise. Here’s my breakfast routine.

Digestive Boost Morning Drink

Add the following to a cup of warm water and drink it before you eat anything:

  • Juice of half a lemon (vitamin C)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (alkalises your body and acts as a digestive cleanser)
  • Pinch of cinnamon (stabilises blood sugar)
  • Pinch of ground ginger – or fresh if you have (anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants)
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (anti-inflammatory & antioxidants)
  • 1 tsp raw honey (optional)

 Spinach Superfood Smoothie

Place the following in a blender:

  • ½ cup almond milk (can use rice milk or any other milk of your choice)
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • Pinch of ground ginger
  • Pinch of turmeric
  • 1 tsp kelp powder
  • 2 tsp acai powder / baobab powder (optional as it is expensive)
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds (soaked in water overnight)
  • 2 tbsp protein powder (I use pea protein as as a dairy free option, but whey protein is widely available at shops like Dis-Chem)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 apple/pear or ½ a mango
  • Small chunk of beetroot if desired
  • Handful of spinach
  • Few blocks of ice
  • Top with goji berries and nuts (optional)

 This makes enough for two.

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