I always feel that breakfast is the most personal meal of the day. Before any of the daily grind gets in the way, we have a moment to choose what we want to eat and how we want to eat it, before getting sucked into the void of a busy day. Smoothie bowls have become a huge cult fashion in healthy eating, appealing to the hard nose purists and those just riding the wave of the nutrition trend. Personally, the cuteness gets me every time. There’s something about a colour co-ordinated, delicately arrange breakfast bowl that creates a sense of calm and power in the morning. The morning is very sacred to me, and a quite moment spent over a pretty bowl that’s bursting with raw nutrients and enzymes, fresh fruits, and crunchy little toppings, is just a dream. It’s where whole foods meet Japanese kawaii (cute). After that, heading out into the big bad world isn’t so scary. I’m protected by a bubble of creamy pastel colours, snowy white coconut, and summer strawberries cut open with their green afro still intact.
Two frozen bananas, one fresh banana, a cup of frozen raspberries, and half a cup of coconut water. Dressed up with shredded coconut, raspberries, and banana.
If you dive into the world of professional and amateur food experts you’ll see the whole spectrum of fruit fearing and fruit worshipping; The people that restrict themselves to one piece of fruit a day versus those who spend days in a row eating only bananas. I’m all about moderation. Variety is the key to true health, not restriction or excess, just taking a little of everything. Every plant has it’s own nutritional offering; so the broader we go the more comprehensive our health will be. Bananas contain high levels of potassium and folate, citrus are literally bursting with vitamin c that helps us to absorb iron and maintain immunity, berries are full of antioxidants and flavonoids that keep our cells healthy, vibrantly coloured peaches and apricots contain carotenoids for healthy eyes and skin, dark green leaves contain iron, protein, and phytonutrients for muscle growth and repair – we could go on forever. All of these contain valuable amounts of water, soluble fibre, micro nutrients, and yes, sugars. This is where the fruit fearing like focus.
Two frozen bananas, one fresh banana, quarter of a pineapple, a small piece of fresh turmeric, and half a lemon (peel and pips taken out) blended with quarter of a cup of water. Topped with coconut, black sesame seeds, and strawberries.
Glucose is our main energy source and is therefore found in all carbohydrate foods to some degree, while fructose the main sugar in fruits, sweet vegetables, and honey. The presence of glucose stimulates leptin, a hormone that regulates the intake and expenditure of energy. Triggered insulin production allows the glucose to be processed into energy inside our cells. Any glucose not immediately needed is stored as glycogen, a substance easily converted to energy as we need it, but once these stores are filled the remaining glucose is stored as fat. Even though these are simple sugars, meaning we process it quickly and can cause dizzying blood sugar spikes if consumed in large doses, our bodies can easily utilise them, particularly in their natural environment. Eating whole fruits means we are getting these natural with their required and familiar side dishes of water, fibre, and micronutrients. Our bodies are well equipt to take advantage of the energy provided by fructose in this form. While glucose is processed within the cells, only our livers can process fructose. This is generally no problem but in our modern food system fructose is hidden in everything from cereals to condiments. The danger of fructose, and glucose as well, comes when it is isolated. Sweet fruits and vegetables are often refined to isolate the fructose for sweetening processed foods, the worst example being high fructose corn syrup. Our bodies are then bombarded with high levels of simple sugars, in a completely unfamiliar context, with no proper way to make us of it all. It all comes back to eating foods in their most complete form – the less we do to the plants we consume, the better. This is why smoothie bowls, which are whole, blended fruit, is preferable to juicing, as you retain all the fibre which stabilises our absorption of both nutrients and sugars.
Two frozen bananas, two fresh bananas, half a green apple, half a teaspoon of spirulina, and half a cup of water. Drizzle over Raw Vegan Lemon Curd (recipe soon, I promise), swirl with the handle of a teaspoon to make your galaxy and sprinkle over coconut flakes and raspberries.
At the core of this multi-functional fad is digestion. Breakfast is the ideal time to eat fruit, when our stomachs are empty and still waking up from the long nights fast. Optimal digestion is as much how we eat as it is what we eat. Optimal digestion results in maximum nutrient absorption, so we’re not just talking about indigestion and acid reflux here (both of which are far more common than you think and not just for the elderly). Paying attention to your digestion can have a huge impact on your health. No matter how well you eat, it is pointless if your body is unable to break down the cells and draw out the nutrition it craves. Basically, because of the high water content and simple sugars of most fruits, they digest very quickly. On an empty stomach this process happens smoothly and we are ready and waiting to accept all the nutrients on offer. Say you’ve had a large meal of grain, vegetables and protein first, all containing plenty of protein and fibre, which takes longer for our guts to break down and transform into usable energy and nourishment. Chasing this with a large wedge of melon (the fruit that breaks down fastest) gives us a layer of slowly digesting foods, topped with a layer of already digested fruit that just wants to finish its journey through the system. Being stuck in limbo means the fruit continues to break down and ferment longer than is should, which results in tummy aches, indigestion, and acid reflux (when it has no where to go but up). The high water content of some fruits will also dilute your stomach acid, slowing down the digestion of the first coarse even more. It’s all about timing. In the quiet moments of the morning is the ideal time to digest and utilise fresh fruit. Our bodies dehydrate over night as we rest, so high water and high sugar foods help ease us into the day without violently jolting the system. It’s the difference between waking up to the rising sun or an obnoxiously load alarm clock. Our gut is at the center of our health, impacting on nutrition, mood, and immune health, so be gentle with it.
Every time I make a smoothie bowl I think, ‘mmm that was a good one, put that in the (recipe) journal’, but I don’t think I’ve ever made the same bowl twice. It all comes down to what is seasonally available, what’s left in my fridge/freezer/fruit bowl, and what I’m in the mood for. So instead I’ve made you something more like a smoothie bowl mood board. It’s not about the recipe, it’s about luring your body out into the messy world of busy life with a nourishing, gentle, nutrient pack bowl of cuteness!
Every time I make a smoothie bowl I think, ‘mmm that was a good one, put that in the (recipe) journal’, but I don’t think I’ve ever made the same bowl twice. It all comes down to what is seasonally available, what’s left in my fridge/freezer/fruit bowl, and what I’m in the mood for. So instead I’ve made you something more like a smoothie bowl mood board. It’s not about the recipe, it’s about luring your body out into the messy world of busy life with a nourishing, gentle, nutrient pack bowl of cuteness!
Soak quarter of a cup of chia seeds with one cup of coconut water and quarter of a cup of coconut cream. Blend one frozen banana, two fresh bananas, quarter of a cup of soaked chia seeds, and one cup of frozen mixed berries. Top with dollops of the chia, shredded coconut, sliced banana, frozen raspberries, and freshly grated turmeric.
The Blueprint
Bananas: In my opinion bananas are one of the greatest foods, in terms of versatility and nutrition. But their spot at the top of this list is all about texture. I always use two parts frozen banana to one part fresh. This gives you the dreamiest creamy texture that’s not too icy and not to gloopy. Note: Always use bananas with at least a few spots. This signifies that the starches in the fruit have started transforming into sugars, making them sweeter and easier to digest. A starchy banana will give a smoothie that’s more of the gloopy side.
Fruit: Use whatever your supermarket or farmers market has available at the lowest price. A decrease in price usually means it’s at the height of the season and therefore at it’s ripest and most delicious. Frozen fruit is also a great help in making a good thick smoothie. Freeze your own fruit during it’s season or buy from the super market.
Vegetables: Depending on how good your blended is, adding vegetables is always a great way to expand the spectrum of nutrition in each spoonful. It also tones down the sweetness if your not that way incline in the morning.
Extras: Adding ‘superfoods’ like spirulina, turmeric, wheatgrass, chlorella, and psyllium husk (the superman of fibre), I reserve for the days I feel I need it. I like to treat them more like medicines that garnishes. Partly because they’re expensive, and partly because they are not always necessary.
Fats: Some nutrients are water-soluble and some are fat-soluble. Because of this I always add a little fat, in a whole form, to each bowl. Using coconut milk or nut milks will achieve this, and make a creamier more satiating bowl. Or simply adding toppings like coconut, seeds, or nuts will make sure you’re absorbing as much goodness as possible.
One last tip! Stick to a colour palette and change it daily. Think about what you’re putting in the blender. A combination of blueberries, an orange, and a handful of kale will leave you with an unappetizing brown slurry. Pick a key ingredient and enhance its colour with other similar shades, like combing raspberries and beetroot. Fruits in the same area of the colour spectrum will also contain similar antioxidants and flavonoids, so blending up a different section of the rainbow each day will contribute to that depth of nutritional variety that we are aiming for.
Fruit: Use whatever your supermarket or farmers market has available at the lowest price. A decrease in price usually means it’s at the height of the season and therefore at it’s ripest and most delicious. Frozen fruit is also a great help in making a good thick smoothie. Freeze your own fruit during it’s season or buy from the super market.
Vegetables: Depending on how good your blended is, adding vegetables is always a great way to expand the spectrum of nutrition in each spoonful. It also tones down the sweetness if your not that way incline in the morning.
Extras: Adding ‘superfoods’ like spirulina, turmeric, wheatgrass, chlorella, and psyllium husk (the superman of fibre), I reserve for the days I feel I need it. I like to treat them more like medicines that garnishes. Partly because they’re expensive, and partly because they are not always necessary.
Fats: Some nutrients are water-soluble and some are fat-soluble. Because of this I always add a little fat, in a whole form, to each bowl. Using coconut milk or nut milks will achieve this, and make a creamier more satiating bowl. Or simply adding toppings like coconut, seeds, or nuts will make sure you’re absorbing as much goodness as possible.
One last tip! Stick to a colour palette and change it daily. Think about what you’re putting in the blender. A combination of blueberries, an orange, and a handful of kale will leave you with an unappetizing brown slurry. Pick a key ingredient and enhance its colour with other similar shades, like combing raspberries and beetroot. Fruits in the same area of the colour spectrum will also contain similar antioxidants and flavonoids, so blending up a different section of the rainbow each day will contribute to that depth of nutritional variety that we are aiming for.
Two frozen bananas, two fresh bananas, half a teaspoon of spirulina, one tablespoon of cacao nibs, all blended with quarter of a cup of water. Pour over Chocolate Sauce (recipe here), sprinkle across granola and raspberries, and dust with extra spirulina.
