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Just in time for the weather change that throws me off the usual oatmeal/egg breakfasts!

im glad you mentioned throwing greens into smoothies. ive never liked salads much and always have had trouble getting greens into my diet regularly. But read a tip somewhere to add them into smoothies and now I always have a big bin of them in my fridge.

I now often just throw a banana, a handful of greens, and a splash of whatever kind of juice i have laying around in the blender. Obviously any other seasonal produce that is laying around is fair game for an add in, or yogurt if you dont have a dairy problem (plain or flavored) is always good too. its surprisingly versatile and filling. The banana and juice usually overpower any taste from the greens (i usually use spinach or just the mysterious "fresh mixed greens" from the grocery).

I will warn you its not the prettiest looking thing tho. They usually turn out somewhere in green-yellowish brown spectrum.

for diabetics, any idea how may carbs are in a serving? this sounds great but i hate figuring out carb totals for new combo foods...

downtownLAloft - the way I made it above with pineapple in the juice and strawberries, it's roughly 27 a serving. Although that number changed with the fruit you decide to use.

The carb count for just the tofu soy and agave (per recipe) is only 30 (if I did my math right), so 15 per drink if you're serving it to two. You can adjust it from there with the fruits you decide to add, although half of those carbs are from the agave which doesn't have the same effect on blood sugar as "traditional carbs and sugar" do (it's 90% fructose and 10% glucose).

Agave syrup isn't great for diabetics. It has a high amount of fructose which doesn't raise blood glucose levels (which is why you might think it's a good thing), but instead raises triglycerides, contributes to hyperinsulimenia, and advanced glycolated end-products (in other words, raises your HgA1c). How much fructose depends on the manufactuer, but it's been reported anywhere from 58 to 92%.

You're better off using honey as a sweetener which is ~38% fructose. Blood sugar levels will go up slightly, but this will be offset by the high level of protein which raises glucagon levels.

Other than that, good post! I love smoothies. Also, you can use a few scoops of protein powder (rice, soy, whey) if you're not into tofu.

@downtownLAloft: I calculated the nutrition out based on 1 serving using 3oz VitaSoy silken tofu, 0.375C Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, 1/2 large banana and 1/2C strawberries, 1T agave nectar:

221 calories
4g fat
42g carbs (29g sugar, 5g fiber)
8g protein

Not great for diabetics. I would modify this recipe to use unsweetened soy milk, NO agave nectar (a whopping 15g sugar), and add 1-2 scoops protein powder to get the protein up to 15-20 g.

Sugar is sugar regardless of the source. It's all glucose, fructose or galactose. Disaccharides like white sugar are just as bad. The agave syrup and fruit contain a hefty amount of readily absorbable sugar. substituting honey or other syrups is still sugar. Bananas, pineapple and dates are extremely high in sugar too. How can this be low sugar given the outside sweetners and naturally occuring fruit sugar? My damaged pancreas would never cope with so much sugar in liquid form.

I'm confused about:

1) why you would ever want to put sugar in a smoothie when fruit has plenty of sugar in it as it is, and
2) why anyone would need a recipe for a smoothie, let alone a blog post.

I also wanted to add freshly ground flax seeds and almond butter are excellent additions to a smoothie too! They'll help add some good fat which will also help balance out the carbs.

@lona: "Sugar is sugar regardless of the source."
Sort of. True, it doesn't much matter if you're getting your sugar from an apple, potato or high fructose corn syrup -- glucose regardless of the source will enter the blood stream and elevate blood glucose levels.

Fructose, on the other hand, doesn't -- it goes to the liver where it is processed and stored as fat. However, there is a lot of on-going debate on fructose and the verdict still isn't out on how bad it is. Regardless, it doesn't seem to be a great thing.

Not sure about galactose. We didn't spend much time on it in my nutritional biochemistry class.

I agree a ton of carbs in liquid form isn't so hot. But, if you balance it out with enough protein and some fat, it will temper how fast the sugar hits your blood stream.

Thanks for the science lesson everyone! I apparently need to do more homework!

When I said it was "Low Sugar", I guess I had intended to imply that it was lower than most the other on the go options for breakfast!

sarahrae - made it before a workout tonight and it was great! with unsweetened soy milk, only 1 cup of frozen strawberries and a dash of agave the carb/sugar was fairly low. definitely a new favorite since we are also a diabetic non-dairy family, thanks so much for sharing!!!

With everything I've read on soy, I would be wary to try this recipe. I have been doing smoothies in the mornings lately too. This recipe is taken from Sally Fallon's _Nourishing Traditions_ cookbook and it is excellent!

1 1/4 c whole milk yogurt (sometimes I cut this with kefir)
1 c berries (or 1 banana or other fruit)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (from a reputable source)
2 egg yolks
3-4 T maple syrup (or 1/4 t stevia powder might be a better sweetener for diabetics)

It sounded a bit heavy to me when I first read it, but turns out that it is satisfying, nutritious and keeps me going throughout my morning!

With regards to the milk intolerance, depending on what type of intolerance you have, you might find that yogurt and/or kefir are tolerable by your family. These products have gone through a process of fermentation or souring which partially breaks down the lactose and predigests casein (the allergy causing milk protein) and many people find that they are able to digest them without issue (Fallon, 33).

Another diabetic, dairy-free person. Interesting there are so many of us.

I can't handle fruit in any form at breakfast, but I know that everyone's body is different and can handle different foods.

I really don't get why you'd put agave/sweetening in a smoothie that is already sweet either. If you are using vanilla soymilk (has sugar), berriers, and pineapple (canned pineapple with its very sweet juice--full of natural sugars), there is no need for agave!

And obviously you know your own nutritional needs best, but this is not what I'd recommend someone with blood sugar issues have for breakfast. More protein, more fibre, less sugar would be better.

I'd be careful here. 27 grams of carbs per serving is a bit much if you're talking about T2 diabetes. (Can't speak to T1, might be different). My endocrinologist says that agave nectar (and all so-called healthy sweeteners) is no different than refined white sugar to a T2 diabetic - better to just eat the strawberries :)