How to Make a Satiating Banana Oat Smoothie
Homemade cereal and fruit smoothies prevent the consumption of ultra-processed products that contain a lot of sugar. Therefore, they help you follow a more balanced and healthy diet. Do you know how to make a healthy banana oat smoothie?
Below, we’ll briefly explain the main benefits of oats and bananas and we’ll present a banana oat smoothie recipe that you can adapt to your liking.
Nutritional benefits
Oats: a heart-healthy cereal
This is a very nutritional cereal, as it contains fiber, B vitamins, and essential minerals (iron and potassium). Here are some of the benefits of consuming oats:
- Firstly, prevention of digestive diseases. It’s a great regulator of intestinal transit, due to its high content of soluble and insoluble fiber. Doctors recommend it for gastritis, heartburn, and hemorrhoids patients, as it protects the digestive mucosa. In addition, soluble fiber has a prebiotic action that favors the intestinal flora.
- It purifies the gallbladder. The intake of oats can help drag bile salts from digestion, thus favoring their elimination in the feces and gallbladder purification. Thus, it prevents the formation of gallstones and colic.
- Finally, prevention and improvement of cardiovascular diseases. Fiber reduces cholesterol absorption, thanks to its drag action. Therefore, it regulates cholesterol levels and blood pressure. In addition, its low fat content makes it a heart-healthy food.
Learn more here: 9 Benefits of Eating Oats for Breakfast
Banana: essential in the banana oat smoothie
Banana is a very nutritious and energy-giving fruit. Thus, consuming it benefits your body in many ways, thanks to the fact that it contains slow-absorbing carbohydrates, vitamins A, E, and B (B2, B3), potassium, and magnesium, among other essential minerals. Some of the most important properties of banana are:
- Regulation of mood disorders. The consumption of bananas prevents the reduction of serotonin levels (hormone directly related to mood regulation), thanks to the fact that it’s rich in tryptophan and potassium.
- It reduces hypercholesterolemia and regulates blood glucose levels. Its high fiber content reduces cholesterol levels and improves insulin sensitivity.
- Regulation of blood pressure, thanks to the fact that it contains a significant amount of potassium, a mineral that intervenes in the urinary excretion of sodium, favoring the decrease of the blood levels of this mineral.
- It’s a highly satiating food and helps control the hunger-anxiety cycle.
Read on to learn more: Top 10 Health Benefits of Bananas
Banana, oat, and cocoa smoothie recipe
It’s a very easy and quick recipe to make, which will appeal to both children and adults thanks to the flavor cocoa provides.
Ingredients
- 300 ml of milk
- 1 ripe banana
- 30 g of oats
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Agave syrup
- 15 gr of fat-reduced sugar-free cocoa
Preparation
- Firstly, make the relevant measurements.
- Then, peel, wash, and slice the banana to facilitate the mixing process.
- Rinse the oats to remove any impurities and add it, along with the rest of the ingredients, to a mixer or food processor.
- Mix at medium speed, making sure you don’t exceed your kitchen instrument’s capacity level. If you think it isn’t powerful enough, you can mash the oats first and then add the rest of the ingredients.
- Finally, let it cool in the fridge and you’re done!
Replacements for the banana oat smoothie
To adapt the recipe to different types of needs and special diets, you can make the following replacements:
- Vegetable milk (almond, oat, soy), instead of animal milk.
- Yogurt instead of milk, combining it with 50 ml of water.
- Replace the cocoa with dates. In this case, you’ll need to peel and remove the stones before mixing.
- Use any type of sweetener, such as saccharin, stevia, liquid sweetener, sugar, whole cane sugar, etc.
You can accompany it with a fruit salad or toast for a more complete breakfast or drink it with some sprinkled cinnamon. Enjoy!