This simple filling breakfast will keep you going for hours. You can even make this cacao smoothie ahead of time and store it in the fridge, so there are no excuses for not having breakfast!
Cacao Smoothie – Healthy Breakfast & Snack Recipe
Ingredients:
- 300ml of almond or oat milk
- 1 heaped tablespoon of high-quality cacao powder
- shot of espresso or heaped teaspoon of espresso powder
- 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder of your choice
- banana
Method:
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend into a smooth drink that can be transferred into a flask to take to work, or enjoy straight away from a glass jar!
Are You Sure Chocolate is Healthy?
We’re absolutely sure – chocolate really can be good for you (before all the sugar is added…)! Cacao is a rich source of flavonoids. Flavonoids are cardioprotective because they help to reduce blood pressure & also protect the endothelium from damage.
Raw cacao is made by cold pressing the unroasted beans which keeps the enzymes and is more beneficial than using processed cocoa. “Raw dried cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao, Malvaceae, cacao tree) contain high levels of polyphenols” (Ludovici et al. 2017)
Consuming foods rich in polyphenols have been shown to be beneficial to cardiovascular health through the reduction of blood pressure and improvement of vascular function. (Ludovici et al. 2017)
These polyphenols irritate the cells in the blood vessel walls causing the endothelial cells to release higher levels of nitric oxide which is a powerful vasodilator. When the vessel dilates it causes less pressure on the vessel walls and therefore lowers blood pressure.
References:
Ludovici V, Barthelmes J, Nägele MP, et al. (2017) Cocoa, Blood Pressure and Vascular Function. Frontiers in Nutrition https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5539137/
