Having a smoothie for breakfast can be an easy, quick and heart healthy choice. This one is particularly heart healthy and below read the 7 reasons why you might want to drink this heart healthy smoothie for breakfast.
Powerhouse of Nutrition
This smoothie is packed full of goodness! It is a powerhouse of nutrition that you can drink any time of day. Rather it be a morning pick-me-up or an afternoon energizer, you’ll love the flavor and also knowing you are are the right track with your nutrition.
Using frozen fruit makes this recipe fast and simple. So, grab your frozen organic berries, oats, flaxseed, greens, non-dairy milk, and juice. Throw all the ingredients into your blender and in a few minutes, you have a delightful, balanced beverage!
Read below about why this is a Heart Healthy Smoothie.
Plant-based recipes are Heart-Healthy! Check out ore Heart-conscious recipes:
- Green Berry Smoothie
- Healing Turmeric Smoothie
- Rick’s Superfood Smoothie
- Roasted Squash Salad
- Vegan Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream
Make your own non-dairy milk to add to this smoothie and all your other plant-based recipes. Most non-dairy milks last between 3-4 days in the refrigerator. So, if you are looking to add more smoothies to your diet, it’s very helpful to have these ready.
Read about How to Make Delicious Homemade Nut, Seed and Grain-Based Milk
7 Reasons to Drink This Smoothie
- It’s a good way to eat more greens. Add some spinach, kale, or romaine lettuce and you’ll be on your way to having your daily dose of greens. Don’t be afraid to use steamed or add a handful of raw.
- The blender does the chewing for you and helps release all the goodness in your food.
- Cranberries contain polyphenols and they may boost heart health by alleviating arterial stiffness.(1) And, blueberries help reduce atherosclerosis. Not to mention that both of these antioxidant rich berries help prevent urinary tract infections by blocking bacterias ability to bind to the bladder’s wall. (2)(3)
- Oatmeal can lower your cholesterol. It’s soluble fiber binds to cholesterol and ushers it out of the system. (4) Use cooked or raw.
- Clinic studies have shown pomegranates to be heart healthy. From Dr. Fuhrman, Pomegranate “not only lower cholesterol, but also lower blood pressure and increase the speed at which heart blockages (atherosclerosis) melt away.”
- Flax seeds, which need to be ground to be bioavailable, are rich in lignans and omega 3 fatty acids and “scientific studies have confirmed that flax seeds have a positive influence on everything from cholesterol levels and constipation to cancer and heart disease.” (5)
- “Soy’s lunasin peptide is “nutritional magic” for your heart. Lunasin is a naturally occurring peptide found in soy that disrupts production of cholesterol in the liver and clears LDL from bloodstream.” from news-medical.net.
If you’re concerned about soy, you can substitute unsweetened almond milk.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Heart Healthy Smoothie! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
This recipe is Certified Plantricious because it meets the following guidelines.
The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition
- Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
- May be minimally processed
- No added oil
- No added sugars
- No artificial additives or preservatives
- Sodium (mg) to Calories ratio, 1 ≤ 1
- Total Fiber to Calories, 2g ≥ 100 calories
Heart Healthy Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup frozen organic blueberries (unsweetened)
- 1/3 cup frozen organic strawberries (unsweetened)
- 1/3 cup frozen organic cranberries (unsweetened)
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds or whole
- 3 large leaves romaine lettuce or other greens
- 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk like Westsoy or other unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
- water extra, as needed to thin
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add more water if you’d like it a little thinner.
You say to add more water but there is no water in the ingredients.
I added a note at the end of the ingredients. The extra water is only needed if you’d like your smoothie a little thinner. Hope that makes it more clear.
Can’t wait to try!!
I think you’ll enjoy it!
Can I make this the night before? Will it still be nutritious?
Hey Jennifer, from what I’ve read, if you store it covered in the fridge and add citric acid like lemon or lime juice or even orange juice, it will help reduce oxidation and still be nutritious in the morning. 👍
Where does the peanut butter come in?
Oops, that doesn’t belong in there so I removed it from the post. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. 🙂
I made this smoothie this morning and am drinking/chewing it now, and it is tasty. I added some cacao nibs for my taste and used water instead of the pomegranate juice because I didn’t have any and I like it. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Hi Angela, Yay… I’m so glad you enjoyed the smoothie. That’s the great thing about smoothies, mixing it up to work for you and what you have on hand.👍