Breakfast roughie
I choose to call this concoction a roughie instead of a smoothie because it supplies about 1/2 of the daily need for roughage (dietary fiber). Fiber is good for your intestines.
It isn't that easy to get 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day by eating just vegetables and fresh fruit. Unless your diet is rich in legumes like pinto beans and whole grains, you may not reach the target. White bread and potatoes have minimal fiber. Fruits like apples and oranges have 2 to 3 grams of fiber per piece. Veggies have 1 to 3 grams per serving. 1/2 cup of beans may have 4 to 6 grams.
As my usual breakfast contains a high-fiber cereal and fresh fruit, I am well on the way to meeting the recommended daily amount of fiber. And, if you add fresh blueberries in season or frozen berries other times of the year, you get a healthy dose of antioxidants.
If you happen to meet a gastroenterologist at a holiday party, you can ask about my advice.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup high fiber cereal (read the label and pick one with about 13 grams of fiber)
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 servings fresh fruit (mix and match — like many people, I like bananas as one of the choices even though they are not locally grown)
Directions
- Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Enjoy.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Calories: 358
- Total fat: 2 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
- Sodium: 273 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 79 g
- Dietary fiber: 13 g
- Protein: 15 g