Morning smoothie

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inator
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Morning smoothie

Post by inator »

I'm usually on the run in the morning, so I make a quick smoothie and drink it on the way. I've been trying to improve the recipe to make it more nutrient dense. For now I've got:

100g frozen berries
75g frozen kale or spinach
1/2 banana (for the taste)
2 tbsp flaxseeds
20-30g nuts/seeds mix (I make sure to have some Brazil nuts in there for the selenium)
150-200ml soy milk and some water
+
2 tsp amla powder (for the antioxidants)
1/4 tsp turmeric + a dash of black pepper (pepper increases the absorbtion of curcumin, doesn't influence the taste of the smoothie in such low amounts)
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp powdered wheatgrass (got it as a gift, won't repurchase)
1 tbsp lecithin
1 tbsp creatine


That's around 500 calories. It's not particularly protein rich, but I eat plenty of beans and tofu in my other meals. I may consider adding some protein powder if it won't ruin the taste. Any suggestions on how to improve my smoothie without making it disgusting?

What do you all eat for breakfast?
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Jebus
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by Jebus »

Looks solid. Don't worry about the selenium since you eat lots of tofu. There is also plenty of selenium in wholemeal bread and pasta. I would consider adding cinnamon and cacao powder. Great for both taste and health.

Why do you include the creatine?
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Dream Sphere
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by Dream Sphere »

I've tried three different protein powders and just one of them had a poor taste to it. They were Vega Chocolate, Vega Vanilla, and Orgain Vanilla. The Vega Vanilla one is the one that tasted poor, while the other two tasted very good. In terms of nutrition I would say that the Vega ones are better since they have more protein per gram and fewer calories per gram, although a variable I haven't checked is the price to weight ratio/cost, and it's possible Orgain may be a better deal since it comes in a larger quantity, but I don't remember its price.

So I'd rank them like this...

Vega Chocolate > Orgain Vanilla > Vega Vanilla
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DarlBundren
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by DarlBundren »

I make a very similar smoothie. I add both cinnamon and cacao powder, though. (And I don't use neither lecithin nor creatin)
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by brimstoneSalad »

I agree with Jebus, unless you don't eat wheat, a Brazil Nut is unnecessary. Although Brazil nuts can be essential for people on wheat-free diets, I'm not a fan of their amino acid profiles or fatty acid content.
I'm not sure why you add lecithin unless you're low on choline.

Cinnamon and cacao powder are good recommendations, but be careful on the cinnamon (too much can be toxic).

For cost efficiency, you might want to switch to red cabbage, and just make sure you're getting wild blueberries (which are about the same price as other berries) for the antioxidants. Some of those super food powders are pretty pricey. Although if they're convenient and you like the taste and don't mind the price it would make sense to stick with them.
I think at this point, optimizations may be more in price and taste.
Jebus wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:15 am Why do you include the creatine?
There's some limited evidence that it may be good for vegans to take a little. Not necessary, but possibly useful.
It's also harmless as long as your kidneys are functioning fine and you don't cook it.

I've taken it and not taken it, never really noticed a difference. It's cheap though, I might try it again if there's new evidence out.
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Jebus
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by Jebus »

brimstoneSalad wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:07 pmI've taken it (creatine) and not taken it
Do you normally take it in cycles or do you think it's ok to stay on it without breaks?
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Jebus wrote: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:03 am
brimstoneSalad wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:07 pmI've taken it (creatine) and not taken it
Do you normally take it in cycles or do you think it's ok to stay on it without breaks?
I think it's probably harmless (unlike carnitine) as long as it's not heated (it's one of the things than becomes carcinogenic when meat is cooked).
It's probably only helpful in limited circumstances though, like undergoing intensive training, and it may help keep people sharp in old age.

Taking it only when you need it, it will probably have a bigger effect (your body will be more sensitive to it, taking it regularly you could just get used to it [not clear]). And if that's true, then it should be recommended NOT to take it all of the time, perhaps unless you are elderly. Again, the studies are limited, so this is speculation.

Like, say, take it in the week or two before final exams if you're a student (your meat eating peers won't get that benefit), or right before a competition of some kind. You'll get a special boost that only vegans can get.

Vegan health has good and pretty comprehensive articles on it (also see the athletic performance page linked in this one):

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/creatine
The authors pointed out that these finding should not necessarily be extrapolated to other parts of the brain. They also say:

[A] few but not all studies have revealed a positive effect of [creatine] supplementation on cognition in individuals exposed to highly stressing conditions (e.g. sleep deprivation and exhausting exercise).
A 2010 study of 121 young women (71 of whom were vegetarian or vegan) had the subjects supplement with either 20 g of creatine per day (four doses of 5 g throughout the day) or placebo for five days (4). At baseline, the vegetarians had similar memory to the meat-eaters, but after supplementation, the vegetarians who supplemented with creatine had better memory than the meat-eaters in either group. This study found that vegetarians were more sensitive to supplementation with creatine than meat-eaters. There were only minor side effects reported by some of the subjects.

A 2003 study of 27 lacto-ovo vegetarian and 18 vegan college students found that supplementing with 5 g of creatine per day for six weeks increased their mental capacity (1). There was no omnivore group so it is not clear if the supplementation would have also worked for omnivores. But in other studies on omnivores:

Six weeks of creatine supplementation of .03 g/kg body weight per day did not improve cognitive function in a group of young adult omnivores, but the amount of creatine was only about 1 to 1.5 g/day (2).
In elderly omnivores, four doses of 5 g of creatine per day for one or two weeks increased their cognitive function in some but not all measurements (3).
If you plan to supplement with creatine based on this study, realize that it is not recommended to take 20 g of creatine past an initial loading phase, which is typically one week or less. After that, 5 g per day or less is recommended.
Vegans and omnivores are equal at baseline, then vegans get a boost from creatine that omnivores do not get (unless they are elderly, maybe).

What I would really like to see is a study to confirm that, which checks to see if the performance boost drops off after a few months for vegans on creatine.

Or maybe vegans just have the ability to be smarter than omnivores period by combining a vegan diet with creatine, and it's a lasting effect.
Again, all we have is speculation at this point.

Taking creatine, though, either regularly or occasionally should be very low risk and may provide a significant benefit.
inator
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by inator »

Jebus wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:15 am I would consider adding cinnamon and cacao powder. Great for both taste and health.
I already add cinnamon in my coffee. I'm not sure cinnamon and cacao powder would go well with the tastes of amla, ginger etc., but I've got both in my kitchen so I'll give them a go.
Jebus wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:15 amWhy do you include the creatine?
I use creatine as a nootropic. There's some evidence that it may increase cognitive function, especially in vegans. Brimstone covered it I think.


Dream Sphere wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:17 amVega Chocolate > Orgain Vanilla > Vega Vanilla
Thanks a lot. I haven't tried blends before, maybe the taste will be better.
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by inator »

brimstoneSalad wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:07 pm I agree with Jebus, unless you don't eat wheat, a Brazil Nut is unnecessary. Although Brazil nuts can be essential for people on wheat-free diets, I'm not a fan of their amino acid profiles or fatty acid content.
I'm not sure why you add lecithin unless you're low on choline.

For cost efficiency, you might want to switch to red cabbage, and just make sure you're getting wild blueberries (which are about the same price as other berries) for the antioxidants. Some of those super food powders are pretty pricey. Although if they're convenient and you like the taste and don't mind the price it would make sense to stick with them.
I think at this point, optimizations may be more in price and taste.
I don't really eat much wheat, certainly not every day. Usually I just add one or two Brazil nuts, the rest is mostly walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.

I add the lecithin because choline may enhance the effects of other nootropics that my partner takes. And we just make one big smoothie (double the quantities I mentioned).
I've also just checked Cronometer and it says I'm getting around 450mg choline, including the lecithin which has around 250mg. So I'd probably be slightly deficient without it.

Kale is actually pretty inexpensive here, it's been part of traditional dishes way before the 'kale as superfood' hype started. But I'll look for some red cabbage for diversity. Amla, turmeric and ginger powder are also affordable in Indian shops. In the 1-3 euro range for 100g.

brimstoneSalad wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:07 pmWhat I would really like to see is a study to confirm that, which checks to see if the performance boost drops off after a few months for vegans on creatine.
I'm also really curious about that. It's probably more likely that the effects level off after a while, but that remains to be seen.
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Jebus
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Re: Morning smoothie

Post by Jebus »

brimstoneSalad wrote: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:07 amI think it's probably harmless (unlike carnitine)
I didn't know carnitine needs to be cycled. I have a bunch of it at home as I give it to the dogs and I was just about to start taking it myself. Do you have a link or more information for how it should be cycled.
brimstoneSalad wrote: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:07 amtake it in the week or two before final exams if you're a student (your meat eating peers won't get that benefit), or right before a competition of some kind.


The reason I stopped taking creatine many years ago is that it made me cramp during athletic competition.
How to become vegan in 4.5 hours:
1.Watch Forks over Knives (Health)
2.Watch Cowspiracy (Environment)
3. Watch Earthlings (Ethics)
Congratulations, unless you are a complete idiot you are now a vegan.
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