Most of the options that you’ll find in the breakfast aisle of your local grocery store are nothing more than desserts masquerading as “breakfast”. They’re full of sugar, preservatives, and other added junk. That’s exactly why I like to make my own breakfast from scratch every morning, and one of my favorite things to enjoy for breakfast is a healthy smoothie. Recipes like this spinach sublime breakfast smoothie are a terrific way to start your day off on the right foot. So skip those sugary cereals that will cause you to crash after an hour or two — instead go with this smoothie as it’s made with a great mix of all natural whole food ingredients that will leave you feeling energized all throughout the morning.

What Are Antioxidants and Why Are They Important?

Antioxidants protect our cells from the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals are produced when the body breaks down certain foods or is exposed to certain toxins such as secondhand smoke, radiation, harmful chemicals, and other substances. Free radical damage can play a role in the development of certain diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and more.

Antioxidants such as phenols, lignans, tannins, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C, and vitamin E typically found in plant-based foods can help protect your cells from free radical damage. These include spices, herbs, cocoa products, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and of course, fruits and vegetables.

Make the Most Important Meal of the Day a Healthy One

Every time I eat foods high in antioxidants, I definitely notice a difference in my energy levels and how I feel overall. That’s a good thing too because most of the ingredients used in this recipe are all rather rich sources of antioxidants. Starting with one cup of fresh spinach, you’re giving this smoothie a potent amount of antioxidant activity that helps to reduce your risk of diseases caused by oxidative stress. (1) In addition, spinach provides you with a wealth of essential vitamins and minerals. It’s particularly high in vitamin A, iron, folate, calcium, vitamin K, and dietary fiber. It’s definitely deserving of its reputation as a superfood and I try my best to eat spinach (or use it in smoothies) at least a few times per week.

Along with the spinach, this smoothie provides even more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants thanks to the addition of a banana and ½ of a medium sized apple as well. Both of these ingredients also offers a solid amount of fiber to the smoothie as well, helping to make it more satiating while also providing some great benefits for your heart health. And while I always knew that apples were a great source of vitamin C, I’m still surprised at just how many antioxidant properties are found in bananas as well. (2)

This recipe also includes one of my favorite carb sources in the form of ⅓ cup of rolled oats. I’m a huge fan of having a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast so it only seemed natural to add them into my breakfast smoothies as well. They’re another surprisingly solid source of antioxidants as well. (3) On top of that, rolled oats are a fantastic food for your heart health due to their high fiber content and their demonstrated cholesterol lowering properties.

The final ingredient to add into the smoothie is one cup of milk which will serve as the liquid base. I generally use 2% milk when making my breakfast smoothies but you can definitely feel free to use some unsweetened almond milk instead if you’d like. Also, depending on how hungry I am, sometimes I’ll even add a bit of extra vanilla whey protein powder in as well to help keep me feeling full for longer (you can get the whey isolate brand I use and recommend by clicking here). It’s totally optional though — the recipe is already pretty much perfect as is!