Delicious Smoothies - The Almost Instant Breakfast

These days when we are all trying to cram more and more into twenty-four hours, multi-tasking, generally doing at least two things at once, it is still hard to find time to sit down and eat a healthy breakfast. Smoothies could be your answer, they are quite a thick drink and they do fill you up, which is a bonus as they are also low in calories which is probably pretty important to you if you are watching your weight. If you can add some oatmeal and/or nuts, the smoothie will make you feel full for even longer.

Why are smoothies better than a glass of fruit juice, you may ask? Fruit juice is good for you - period. But it will only ever be the juice of the fruit, you miss out on the 'whole fruit goodness' that you get from a smoothie. The fruit pulp contains the soluble and insoluble fiber which are both so vital for our digestive health and which protect us from health problems in later life such as bowel and colon cancer. A smoothie is also packed full of vitamins vital for the health of our immune systems, chiefly vitamins A, B6 and E plus minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc which also play a vital role in fighting off infection.

All these nutrients are presented blended into a form which is more easily digestible, especially if you include probiotic yogurt in your smoothie blend which is also brilliant for digestive health and supporting the immune system.

You do not even have to have lots of fresh fruit to hand to make your smoothie. All fruits except for citrus can be frozen and adding frozen fruit to a smoothie will make your drink extra creamy. So it could not be easier to peel a few bananas, chop them into chunks and pop them in the freezer to be ready for a smoothie any time you want. Berries such as blackcurrants, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries all freeze well for smoothies - strawberries are fine too as although they are rather 'mushy' for a dessert once thawed, popping them frozen into a smoothie, they taste as good as fresh.

If you have a smoothie maker and about three minutes, you can whiz up a delicious healthy smoothie and pop your smoothie into a flask to drink on your way to work if you are too rushed to drink it before you go. If you choose a smoothie maker with dishwasher safe parts, taking care of it could not be easier or quicker, no fiddly bits to wash by hand, nothing time-consuming at all. So absolutely no excuse to neglect yourself and not eat a healthy breakfast every morning!

Alison Graham I have a website which explains how to choose the right Smoothie Maker for your requirements and how to make healthy and delicious smoothies which are not only good for our immune systems but also good for our digestive systems because of all the soluble and insoluble fiber they contain. I write on healthy food topics and gardening.