Mixed berry superfood smoothie

This mixed berry superfood smoothie contains all the nutrients you need to start your day! It’ll give you a real energy boost and keep you going for hours! If it’s true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it probably is, this mixed berry superfood smoothie fits the bill in every way. I work out in the morning and my body needs nutrients – I’d soon be flagging without a good breakfast. Smoothies are part of my morning routine and my go-to breakfast, whatever the season!

About this mixed berry superfood smoothie

The stars of the show here are blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and redcurrants. There’s more to it than meets the eye, though! Even though you can’t taste them, there are lots of superfood ingredients in there. In the small bowls around the bowl of berries in the picture below, you can see (clockwise) spirulina, moringa leaf powder, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and baobab fruit powder. These foods are a nutritional powerhouse and blending them into a smoothie is a pretty unbeatable way to start your day.

If you can cram a whole load of nutrients into your first meal of the day, you can afford to slack later if necessary. Maybe you have to eat out often or reheat food from a previous meal for lunch. Perhaps you’re too tired in the evening to cook something nutritious. This breakfast smoothie is deliciously fruity, nutrient-dense, filling and satisfying, and provides you with many of the nutrients you need throughout the day in one single meal: protein, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

How I first got into smoothies

It was my brother Dave who started me off making superfood smoothies. Today he’s what they call a long-term cancer survivor. 7 years ago, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. He underwent surgery and then gruelling cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy that left him scarred and devastated, both mentally and physically. Ever since we were children, we’ve been outdoor adventurous types, and keeping fit and healthy has always been a priority for us. I think that ultimately saved his life. He was super fit just before he fell ill, and I think his reserves helped him pull through in the end.

My brother is a fighter and even before he came out of the hospital, he had tracked down a nutritionist who specialised in assisting cancer patients. For a long time, all he could eat was soup and smoothies. He had no saliva at all and it was incredibly painful to swallow, let alone chew. The nutritionist gave him tons of information on all the whole foods he needed to eat and the natural supplements he had to take if he wanted to get better. He had to put all the weight back on that he’d lost, and his smoothies were packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like avocado, banana, broccoli, spinach, fruit, different kinds of nut butter, seeds, lots of supplements and protein powder.

A few months after he finished his last session of radiotherapy, we went on a family holiday together in Paros, Greece. The Nutribullet came with us, of course, and because my brother was still far from well, I made his smoothies for him. He told me what to put in there and I made them. That meant that I had to taste them, too (hahaha). And it was pretty much love at first sip!

That was back in August 2016, and since then, I’ve been making smoothies nearly every day, experimenting with different ingredients and adapting them to my tastes and needs. I certainly don’t need to put on weight! My brother Dave, I’m very happy to say, has fully recovered and still makes smoothies every day at home in Cape Town.

Mixed berry superfood smoothie ingredients

Below you’ll find a list of the ingredients I use to make this mixed berry superfood smoothie and some indications of their nutritional value.

In the recipe card at the bottom of this post, you’ll find the exact quantities and instructions.

Fruit

Mixed berries are the main ingredients in this superfood breakfast smoothie. You can use either fresh or frozen berries. The nutritional information below is for fresh berries. I got the information from Healthline, which is a reliable site for sourcing nutritional data.

Blackberries are a great source of antioxidants. They are especially rich in vitamin C and dietary fibre. They also contain vitamin K, vitamin E, calcium, and manganese. Blackberries have a relatively low glycemic index, which means they don’t cause big spikes in blood sugar levels.

Strawberries also have a low glycemic index and are rich in vitamin C and dietary fibre. They are a good source of potassium and manganese, as well as several other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts. Strawberries have particularly high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols.

Raspberries are a rich source of vitamin C, dietary fibre and manganese. Raspberries are a low-glycemic-index food, with a total sugar content of only 4%. They contain several other important vitamins and minerals as well. 

Blueberries are a source of dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. They, too, have a low glycemic load.

Redcurrants are a rich source of vitamin C and contain dietary fibre, vitamin K and other vitamins and minerals in smaller quantities.

Banana

No smoothie is complete without banana! Half a banana is the first thing to go into my smoothie beaker in the morning. Bananas make smoothies creamy and act as a natural sweetener. Everyone knows that bananas contain potassium – although not as much as we’ve been led to believe. They’re also a source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese and dietary fibre.

Greens

Spirulina is a biomass of cyanobacteria, which is a type of blue-green algae. It’s a rich source of numerous essential nutrients, the most noteworthy being protein, B vitamins (niacin, riboflavin and thiamine), iron and manganese. It tastes like algae of course, but up to half a teaspoon of spirulina is more or less undetectable in a glass of fruit smoothie. I’d recommend you do your own research on the validity of spirulina as a supplement. Taste it and decide for yourself how much, if any, you want to consume.

Moringa leaf is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. A heaped teaspoonful goes into all my smoothies. Moringa is a rich source of dietary fibre, protein, Vitamins E and K, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12. In smaller amounts, Moringa also contains vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and zinc.

Seeds

Hemp seeds are particularly high in protein, healthy fats, and omega-3 and omega-6. Hemp seeds are also a great source of vitamin E, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.

Pumpkin seeds are full of valuable nutrients – in particular, protein and healthy fats (omega-6). They are high in antioxidants like carotenoids and vitamin E, as well as the minerals manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. They also contain vitamin K, vitamin B2 and folate.

Sunflower seeds are especially high in vitamin E and selenium. They are also rich in healthy fats and contain numerous other minerals: manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium and iron. Sunflower seeds are also a good source of folate and pantothenic acid.

Flax seeds have a high content of omega-3 fats, fibre and protein. In addition, they are a good source of vitamin B1, copper, magnesium, molybdenum, magnesium and phosphorus.

Dried fruits

Goji berries are full of antioxidants, dietary fibre, protein, vitamins A and C, and minerals such as calcium and iron.

Baobab fruit powder has a delicious citrus-like flavour and is high in antioxidants, fibre, vitamin C and vitamin B6. It also contains minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc.

I suggest you do your own research on the nutritional content and health benefits of berries and the other ingredients listed here. Information on the internet varies greatly from one website to another. The information above was taken from Wikipedia and Healthline and is correct to the best of my knowledge.

In the recipe card at the bottom of this post, you’ll find the exact quantities and instructions.

Important tips for making a great mixed berry superfood smoothie

• I suggest you try making your first superfood smoothie with the ingredients listed. If there’s anything you don’t like or can’t eat, just leave it out or replace it with something similar. Go easy on the spirulina because, as I said, it has a strong taste – half a teaspoon is enough.
• If you don’t have moringa leaf powder or spirulina, you could add wheatgrass powder or put some fresh baby spinach leaves in there. Or a floret of broccoli. Raw greens are very good for you, and you won’t be able to taste them!
• Resist adding any type of milk or vegan yoghurt. It’s a smoothie, not a milkshake. Smoothies, by definition, are liquidised fruit and superfood ingredients, with the addition of plain water or freshly squeezed fruit juice. If I’m making a chocolate and banana shake or a coffee shake, then I’ll add vegan milk. They go together well. Fruit and vegan milk don’t, in my opinion.

• Juice is full of sugar, especially the kind made from concentrate, without all the benefits of whole fruit. This mixed berry smoothie is lovely and fruity without the addition of juice. If you want to use juice here, try using red berry or red grape juice.
• Put the water or juice into the blender beaker first, then all the fruit. That’ll help get things moving once you turn the blender on. Add the powders last and try to put them in the middle because they tend to stick to the bottom and sides.
• If you’re using fresh fruit, you’ll need some ice cubes. Room-temperature smoothies aren’t very nice. If using ice cubes, add them last and blend everything for a minute until smooth. You’ll probably need less water if you use ice cubes.

• If you like your smoothie sweeter, add a couple of dates or a dried fig – they’re natural sweeteners and good for you too. Sultanas are great sweeteners too. It would be a pity to add sugar to an otherwise healthy smoothie. Like it tarter? Add some lime or lemon juice!
• Berries are full of little seeds, and the blender won’t be able to grind them down completely. After blending, you could strain the seeds out if you don’t like them in your smoothie. Remember that they’re fibre, though – I leave the seeds in mine.
• Once you’ve made your smoothie, don’t leave it to stand – the ground seeds and protein powder will thicken it. Plus, you want to drink it chilled, not at room temperature. So, no storing it in the fridge for later unless you want a gloopy smoothie.

How to serve your mixed berry superfood smoothies

If you’re making them for guests, prepare berries on skewers or cocktail sticks before blending. Pour the chilled smoothie into pretty glasses, garnish and serve immediately!

I hope you enjoy this mixed berry superfood smoothie! If you do, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

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