You Old Smoothy...

I've been experimenting for a few years now with smoothies. These are an excellent way to pack extra high-quality nutrition into your diet, whether running late for work or needing more calories to supplement your training regime.

I now feel I've got the recipe down to a pretty respectable formula, which is quick to throw together and ideal for breakfasts on the run, meal replacement or post-training snacks. Whilst the many pure fruit smoothies you find down at the supermarket are not inherently bad, they do lack the full range of essential nutrients. No such shortfalls here.

(NB: This recipe was inspired by David Zinczenko's The Abs Diet <http://www.absdiet.com/uof/absdiet/> - a book that, despite its rather painful American title, contains some of the most sensible, practical healthy eating advice I've found to date.)

Here, then, is my recipe for the ultimate power smoothie: -

1 x banana (riper is best)
1 x cup, porridge oats (a sachet of Oatso Simple also works fine)
1 x cup, semi-skimmed milk (organic if possible)
1 x scoop, whey protein powder (vanilla flavour works best)
1 x cup, frozen berries (other frozen fruit works but berries rule)
1 x handful, flaked almonds
1 x tsp, runny honey
1 x tbsp, ground flaxseed (not vital but highly recommended)

Give this lot a blast in the blender (I use a heavy-duty Kitchen Aid model) for around one minute, eh voila...

The oats provide slow-digesting complex carbs; the whey powder delivers high-quality protein; the almonds/flaxseed contributes essential unsaturated fats; and the fruit includes powerful antioxidants. God knows, I can bore for Britain when it comes to healthy eating, but this smoothie represents a smart addition to anyone's diet.