It's a particularly grey and rainy day here in London today, and I'm really missing the sunshine and warmth of home at the moment. Although it's not the right season for me to enjoy this much-loved recipe, I thought it's still worth sharing with those of you who are enjoying warmer weather at the moment!

Avocado may seem like a strange ingredient to include in a smoothie, but it is the key ingredient that gives this smoothie such an incredibly creamy texture. In addition to its contribution to overall mouthfeel, including avocado in this smoothie ups the nutrient density and health benefits of this yummy breakfast.

Avocado

Avocados contain a variety of essential nutrients and important phytochemicals that are beneficial to health. Some of the most notable nutrients provided by avocados include dietary fibre, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin C, folate, phytosterols, and plenty of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). In fact, avocados consist of 71% monounsaturated fatty acids, in addition to 13% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and 16% saturated fatty acids (SFAs). It’s high ‘healthy fat’ content has been shown to promote healthy blood lipid profiles and enhanced bioavailability and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K).

Diets that contain moderate amounts of MUFAs are known to decrease the risk of developing heart disease, with a number of studies and clinical trials having been conducted to investigate this. In some of these studies, hypercholesterolemic subjects that consumed avocado-enriched diets showed improved blood lipid profiles (lower LDL-cholesterol levels and triglycerides, and higher HDL-cholesterol levels) compared with high carbohydrate diets or other diets without avocado.

Moderate avocado consumption, as part of a healthy diet, can help one achieve the recommended minimum daily intake of fibre, thus promoting gut health and bowel function. Compared to other fruits (yes, avocado is actually a fruit) avocados contain very little sugar (0.7 g/100 g) and the GI of avocados is thus almost 0. Avocados are unique in that they contain a significant amount of both antioxidant vitamins, C and E. Both of these vitamins may play a role in contributing to vascular and heart health through preventing the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol in the bloodstream, minimising oxidative damage and inflammation, and arterial plaque stabilisation. They also contain high amounts of vitamin K, which plays a very important role as a coenzyme in blood coagulation and bone metabolism.

Recipe

Makes 1 large or 2 small smoothies

Ingredients

1/2 avocado, ripe
1/2 banana, chopped and frozen
1/4 cup milk or milk alternative of choice
1/4 cup plain yoghurt/kefir/dairy-free alternative
2 tsp cacao powder
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
A handful of ice cubes
2 Medjool dates OR 2 tsp honey
1/4 cup water, as needed

To top:

Toasted coconut flakes
Nuts (pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews)
Seeds
Cacao powder

Method

Peel the avocado before placing it into a blender along with all of the other smoothie ingredients. Blend on a high speed until smooth and creamy. Add water as needed to help the blender. Pour into a bowl, top with delicious toppings, and enjoy 🙂 You can put this smoothie into an on-the-go shake bottle for a great take-away breakfast for busy mornings. The frozen banana and ice keep it nice and cold for a while.

References

1. Dreher ML, Davenport AJ. Hass Avocado Composition and Potential Health Effects. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53:738-50
2. López Ledesma R, Frati Munari AC, Hernández Domínguez BC, Cervantes Montalvo S, Hernández Luna MH, Juárez C, Morán Lira S. Monounsaturated fatty acid (avocado) rich diet for mild hypercholesterolemia. Arch Med Res. 1996;27(4):519-23

Original post can be found on my blog Taste & See

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