Breakfast has long been considered the most important meal of the day, just skip it once and you’ll know that’s true when your stomach howls with hunger before noon. Despite this many people skip breakfast altogether, because who has time in the morning for a chore like making a well-balanced, hearty breakfast?
But making breakfast doesn’t have to be a chore, in fact, if you’re having a smoothie it can be as simple as hitting blend in the morning, Interested? Read on for my entire breakfast smoothie guide, where we will discuss all the important details and help you decide if a smoothie for breakfast will be enough to keep you going all day or not.
If you can’t stick around, however, below is our direct answer:
Is a Smoothie Enough for Breakfast?
A typical smoothie is packed with quality calories thanks to ingredients like fresh fruits, veggies, superfoods, and yogurt, so it should provide you with more than enough energy and calories to make it to whatever your next meal is. The nutritional content of a smoothie is highly dependent on its ingredients, which can be almost anything. This may make smoothies not only a smart breakfast option but also fun and delicious as well.
Why is a Smoothie Enough for Breakfast?
Many people are surprised to learn that a perfectly healthy and filling breakfast can comprise of a smoothie alone, but with a little planning, it’s true. This is because the right smoothie has ingredients that give it a great mix of sugars, fibers, and healthy fats that should keep you full of energy until your next meal.
However, as with anything you put in your body, a smoothie is only as good as the ingredients that you put in it. You can put almost anything in a blender and call it a smoothie, so you have to be smart about portion sizes and the ingredients you use for your smoothie.
Here are just a few reasons why a smoothie is a great choice for breakfast:
- Water can be used in exchange for milk or yogurt due to dietary restrictions or to eliminate unwanted calories.
- Low-sugar ingredients, like raspberries and blueberries, are good for maintaining steady sucrose levels throughout the day.
- Enjoying a smoothie that is high in fiber will leave your body feeling full longer.
- Smoothies are delicious and versatile, one can find a smoothie to suit just about anyone’s tastes.
Side note: Click here for 36 smoothie ideas with only 3 ingredients
For all these reasons and more, a smoothie is a solid and versatile breakfast choice that will fill you up with energy for your day (for more information about energy smoothies check out this blog post). And, as we are about to see, this is true for all sorts of varieties of smoothies.
What About a Green Smoothie for Breakfast?
You probably have seen a “green” smoothie, even if you have never had one yourself. With their distinctive light-to-dark green hues, green smoothies certainly stick out.
But how do they get their unique green color? While the ingredients in any given green smoothie may vary, these smoothies often get this color thanks to a base of super healthy green ingredients such as superfoods (spirulina, organic wheatgrass, etc…), kale, spinach, or avocado.
If putting kale in your smoothie sounds gross, don’t worry, green smoothies can be just as delicious as any regular smoothie. This is because their super healthy base ingredients are combined with your choice of fruit and liquid to balance the greens. In practice this means you taste the yummy stuff while still getting the benefits of the nutrients to your body.
So, just like we mentioned in the conventional smoothie above, a green smoothie is a great breakfast option for those looking for a hearty and healthy choice. Don’t be put off by the color, or the thought of drinking liquified spinach, green smoothies are a great way to have your nutrients and enjoy them too.
Relevant articles:
Best Time to Drink a Green Smoothie
What Should You Eat With a Breakfast Smoothie?
So now that we know that a smoothie is great for breakfast, you probably asking yourself:
If I want to, what to pair with a smoothie for a breakfast?!?
You’ll want to pick something that compliments your choice of smoothie, so what is that? Since a smoothie is already considered a nutrient-rich, whole meal itself, you will want to make sure to have something light to go with it.
What is right for you depends largely on what micronutrients are in your smoothie already and what you require for your personal diet. For example, if your smoothie was lacking in a specific nutrient that is something you could fix by adding a side to the meal.
Luckily, there are several great options for things to eat with your smoothie that I will list below:
- If you find yourself missing a savory component during your mornings, a side of bacon may be a welcome addition to your breakfast. It will be great with some “salty” smoothies (for more information click here)
- Having calorically dense granola is a good choice if your smoothie is rich in sugars already. You can use it as a topping if you are making a smoothie bowl – for a perfect picture for your Instagram of course :).
- If your smoothie lacks protein consider having an egg on the side as an option.
Lastly, if you often find yourself hungry before lunch after having a smoothie for breakfast, adding solid foods like berries or toast may be of help as this should help prolong a sated feeling.
When is The Best Time To Enjoy a Smoothie – Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?
Up until this point we have talked about smoothies solely in the context of breakfast, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a smoothie for any other meal of the day. While a smoothie is obviously great as a quick and easy-to-digest breakfast, those same traits make it a great choice for lunch and dinner as well.
Smoothies are often used as a meal replacement as part of weight loss plans because they are rich in nutrients without necessarily being calorically dense, So, clearly, a smoothie is a great choice any time of day.
The only time it is not recommended to have a smoothie is before bed. If you are craving a smoothie late at night, be sure to brush your teeth well afterward. This is because the sugars in a smoothie that are left in your mouth overnight can wreak havoc on your oral health.
How To Make The Best Breakfast Smoothie?
One of the best parts of making smoothies for breakfast is that it doesn’t always have to be the same old thing, you can put almost whatever you want in it!
This means that once you master the basics of smoothie making you can create and experiment with your own recipes with whatever you happen to have on hand. This makes a smoothie the ultimate breakfast MVP for those that never know what they will find in the kitchen in the morning.
Making a breakfast smoothie is fast, simple, and easy if you follow these directions:
- First, choose your base if you are making a green smoothie, this is typically any leafy green vegetable.
- Add your liquid, this can be anything from water to yogurt, milk, juice, and milk-alternatives (plant-based milk) like oat or almond beverages.
- Add the fruits of your choice, a classic combination for example is a strawberry and banana.
- Add whatever extras you wish to balance your smoothie nutritional profile. This can be ingredients such as peanut butter or flax seeds.
- Enjoy your smoothie!
A helpful hint is to gather all of your non-perishable ingredients in your blender ahead of time so that you only have to measure and add your refrigerated items in the morning, it definitely save some time in the mornings.
Bonus Morning Smoothie Tips!
We have touched on substituting ingredients earlier in this guide, but now let’s look at a few examples. The best part of smoothies is their ingredient versatility, this is especially useful when doing substitutions.
If one was worried about adding unnecessary calories, for example, as we’ve stated before, they could substitute water for yogurt or milk as the liquid.
Here are a few other quick examples:
- Honey or maple syrup can be added as a healthier sugar substitute.
- Adding whey or oats to supplement protein levels.
- If trying to disguise the taste of an unpleasant supplement or medicine, try adding it to your smoothies.
- Adding a lower-sugar fruit can help aid in weight loss efforts.
In a note related to substitutions, picky eaters are less likely to complain about ingredients they don’t like in a smoothie as they are less distinct when blended.
Conclusion
I hope that you have enjoyed learning about what a great choice a smoothie can be for your breakfasts. With their great nutritional profile, variety of healthy ingredients, and easy to make, smoothies are a great option for those looking for a breakfast that will keep them happy and full until whatever meal they have next.