One of the questions I get the most is what goes in my morning smoothie and what’s the best way to start the day for children. I’m a busy mum, we certainly don’t have time for fancy buckwheat pancakes or beetroot waffles every day! But it is so important to me that my kids start their day with as many nutrients as possible, especially as Braxton’s sensory aversion to food means he doesn’t get enough nutrients throughout the rest of the day. The best way to start the day is actually with protein, not a bunch of carbs that make blood sugar levels spike, contrary to popular opinion that Weetabix (full of sugar and made with gluten) is the best way to start children’s days.
I find the best way to start our day, every single day, is with a superfood smoothie. This way not only can I add a heap of plant-based or animal protein, I can also get as many nutrients in there – and hidden! – as possible.
I’m a nutritionist and wellbeing coach and my child hates food – how’s that for irony? He really picks and chooses what he wants to eat and there are very few things he will eat BUT… he LOVES his smoothie in the morning and that really is my saviour because I can send him off to nursery knowing that even if he doesn’t eat much when he’s there, he has a bunch of nutrients in him keeping him healthy, such as proteins, fats, omegas and vitamins. so it’s a great way for me to get heaps of nutrients, protein, fats and omegas into him right at the start of the day, and for this I’m so thankful that he likes it.
I’ll do another post soon on the supplements I give Brax and take myself, although it’s worth noting that I’m very much into a personalised approach. We all respond differently to different foods so an individualised approach to health is key.
Long story short, this smoothie is really the best thing to start the day for you and your little ones. I use almond milk as a base, which is high in healthy fats and protein, dates for sweetness and fibre, banana for extra energy and peanut butter or almond butter (depending on how I feel. Also, almond butter is a lot more expensive) for those essential fats, anti-oxidant properties and immune boosting goodness. The above give it the nice taste that makes kids drink it. Then we add superfoods.
Superfood Options
We have a cupboard full of superfoods such as acai berry powder, maca powder, lucuma, chia, hemp seeds, hemp powder, chlorella (we use Sun Chlorella granules in little sachets as it’s much easier to hide for kids and doesn’t taste of much), spirulina, bee pollen, camu camu, flax seeds (and golden linseeds), beetroot powder, mushroom blend, psyllium husk and baobab and we choose about 4 at a time to add to our smoothie. You can choose whichever ones you want depending on what you feel you need that day. They all have different benefits and properties. It’s worth noting here that generally bee pollen should be chewed to release the enzymes necessary to produce the vitamin B6, so I don’t often add it to a smoothie, instead I sprinkle it on food, but I wanted to add it to the list in case you want to begin your superfood purchases.
Another option is to add bone broth protein powder if you’re not vegetarian or vegan, or a plant-based one if you are. If your child gets ample protein throughout the day, don’t worry about this.
Many of you know about my journey with vegetarianism and how I’ve had to loosen the reigns as my health dictates, because it turns out that my genetic makeup and blood type dictate that I do need some animal proteins. Bone broth is one of the healthiest elixirs around, and a good quality bone broth protein powder adds another dimension to your morning smoothie.
For today’s smoothie I’ve created a generic, everyday smoothie that’s good for starting the day off (and tastes great for those fussy little ones), but you can choose whichever superfoods suit you from the above list, remembering not to use too many at once, to allow the body to process each one accordingly, so please see above for list of all the available options.
Another top tip is to use beetroot powder. It gives bioavailable iron but more exciting than that, it makes the smoothie look like a strawberry milkshake!
Ingredients
150ml almond milk (or any other plant milk of your choosing)
150ml filtered water
2-3 ice cubes
1 banana
2 medjool dates
1 tbsp peanut or almond butter
Small handful organic spinach
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground flax or golden linseeds
1 tsp camu camu
1 tsp beetroot powder (to make it pink!)
1 scoop 10 mushroom blend (I use Four Sigmatic)
1 scoop bone broth powder (I use Cosmic Molecule)
Generous sprinkling of Sun Chlorella granules
Turmeric & cinnamon (optional but for added health benefits)
Protein powder of choice for adults, once you’ve poured out the kids one. I use Sun Warrior.
Method
Simply put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Love & health,
Lauren
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