Quench your summer thirst with this weight-loss friendly banana-almond smoothie

Smoothies are a creamy wonder that everyone loves—and yet most of us don’t include it in our lives for the fear that they will make us gain weight or divert us from our healthy eating habits. But what if we tell you that it all depends on the ingredients?

Yes, you read it right! Smoothies can be extremely healthy depending on what you use to prepare them. In this case, we’ll tell you to give a chance to banana and almonds. Not convinced? Check out what these two powerful ingredients in the banana-almond smoothie do for you.

What can bananas and almonds do for you?
Banana is not just a staple summer fruit that tastes great, but also wondrous when it comes to providing some of the most critical nutrients that our body needs.

Bananas are an amazing source of vitamin C that can help protect your body against cell and tissue damage, helps produce collagen (the protein which holds your skin, bones, and body together) and supports brain health by producing serotonin (a hormone that affects our sleep cycle, moods, and stress levels). In fact, a medium-sized banana provides approximately 13% of your daily manganese needs.

Manganese helps your body make collagen and protects your skin against free radical damage. As per research published by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, bananas are also an excellent source of potassium which is a vital mineral and electrolyte that carries a small electrical charge in our body. These charges cause nerve cells to send out signals for the heart to beat regularly and muscles to contract.

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While bananas come bundled with sweetness and nutrients alike, almonds are another great healthy food choice as per a research published by the Food Science and Technology Bulletin which highlights that almonds are rich in fibre, protein, vitamin E, manganese, and magnesium. The benefits of consuming almonds range from managing cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels to protecting cells from oxidative damage.

A combination of these god-sent ingredients promises a flavourful event that will leave you with a nutritious after-taste.

Now let’s get down to making this banana-almond smoothie
This humble banana almond smoothie is not only easy to make but also makes for a great breakfast addition. In fact, it whipped up in minutes and with just a handful of ingredients.

So here is our recipe pick for banana-almond smoothie to help you quench your summer thirst, packing approximately 150 calories per serving.

Ingredients
2 medium bananas, frozen
2 spoonful almond butter (blended almonds with a spoon full of olive oil)
4 spoonful flax seeds (optional)
1 cup almond milk, yoghurt or regular milk
Drizzle of honey or maple syrup (optional)

Preparation
1. Toss the bananas, almond butter, flax seeds, honey, and milk/yogurt into a blender. Pulse until it reaches the desired consistency.

Tip: If you don’t want to use almond butter, add 8 to 10 peeled almonds instead.

2. Pour the mixture into a glass and serve chilled.

That’s all it takes to make this banana-almond smoothie. Do let us know how liked this recipe in the comments below.