Life is busy, and sometimes it’s hard to find the time to eat as well as we know we should.

It’s recommended that we consume between 25 and 35 grams of fiber each day, but the average person consumes less than 10. Researchers report that a high-fiber diet can reduce cardiovascular risk, cholesterol and blood pressure.

It’s recommended that we consume 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables each day, but most people consume far less, and little of that is unprocessed. This, despite the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are fat free, low in salt and an excellent source of fiber, as well as being rich in nutrients, phytonutrients and antioxidants.

What if you could get almost a whole day’s worth of nutrients from breakfast alone, at a reasonable price and in only 5 minutes? This is possible, by changing your breakfast from whatever it currently is (coffee and a muffin at the local drive-through on your way to work?) to a Green Smoothy. And the really good news is – it’s yummy!

Recipe:

– 2 c cold water

– 1/4 c almonds

– 2 tbsp flax seeds

– 2c (60grams) raw parsley

– 1 frozen banana (peeled)

– 6 frozen strawberries

– 1/2 c frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)

Combine water, almonds, flax, and parsley in a Vitamix (if any other blender, use ground flax seed) til completely broken down (no more chunks of almond, or flax, or parsley) – 30s in a Vitamix. You can soak the almonds overnight if you want – it will make them blend more easily.

Add banana and berries, blend til smooth (consistency of a milk-shake)

Nutritional breakdown:

This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Folate, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese.

– glycemic load ~19 (very low – that’s good!)

– inflammation factor ~686 (very high – that’s good too!)

– calories 500

– fat 22.6grams (of which 2grams saturated fat) – high in both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids

– protein 16grams (~35% DV(daily value) for a person weighing 150lbs)

– dietary fiber 25grams

– Vitamin A 208% DV

– Vitamin C 380% DV

– Vitamin E 45% DV

– Vitamin K 2497% DV

– Thiamin 39% DV

– Riboflavin 33% DV

– Niacin 25% DV

– Vitamin B6 38% DV

– Folate 69% DV

– Calcium 34% DV

– Iron 62% DV

– Magnesium 69% DV

– Phosphorus 39% DV

– Zinc 26% DV

– Copper 51% DV

– Manganese 133% DV

– Phytosterols ~25mg

Note: for a change, replace the parsley with other greens, like spinach (a milder flavor), or kale. In the summer, add some dandelion greens, or chickweed. Rainbow chard is nice. My husband even likes cilantro. Experiment, and see what works for you and your family.