Mood and Energy… Keep Them Up!

Looking for a quick healthy way to go with a sustained level of energy and a BIG smile on your face?

The banana in the smoothie contains tryptophan, a well-known precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter highly linked to our mood level. Banana as well helps sustain blood sugar with a glycemic index of 52, and hence provide a stable level of sugar in your blood. They are also a good source of vitamin B6, this vitamin is super important, as it is responsible for the synthesis of the non- essential amino acids within your body, and otherwise you would have to consume another extra ten amino acids on your diet, as if it is not already enough to think about all the vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids!!

Oats are a good source of iron which help in the transport of oxygen in the blood, keeping that brain with fresh air! Also they are an extremely good source of manganese, which help enzymes achieve gluconeogenesis, basically the converting of nutrients into sugar, to keep that energy up.

Yogurt has protein, which sustains your energy as soon as nitrogen is removed from its amino acids. Carbs in the oats will start up the energy engine and protein will help it keep going for longer. Use preferably goat yogurt as it has high protein and low fat.

Guava has more vitamin C than oranges, they lack methionine and cysteine, but this is complemented by the peanuts. Guava also has almost twice the amount of lycopene than tomatoes, which is an amazing antioxidant with benefits to the eyes and cardiovascular health. Guava is not available worldwide though,  if so is your case, replace with 1/4 cup of your preferred berries.

The peanuts offer good fats and calories for long lasting energy and a satisfied stomach for up to 5 hours. peanuts are an excellent source of tryptophan, 65 mg for one ounce, plus 12 mg contained in the banana, and 50 mg in the yogurt, and 180 from the oats, it rounds a good 307 mg. The daily need of this essential amino acid are 3.5 mg per kilogram of body weight. Hence you have enough here for 87 Kilograms of body weight!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 ounce of peanuts (about 1/4 cup)

1 banana

1 guava fruit without seeds (optional)

1 cup goat yogurt

1 cup cold water

Ice to taste

Use raw honey to sweeten and a sprinkle of vanilla powder for extra flavor and delight.

Directions:

Blend first the oats with the water and a bit of ice for  about 15 seconds, this depends on the blender, so just about when you don’t see any big pieces of oats still going around in your blender. Add then the peanuts and blend for about 8 seconds and then add the banana and guava and blend for extra 5 seconds… at just about the last 2 seconds you can add the yogurt and honey. Why this process?  There is no need to over-process the fruit, and make it more difficult for the blender to do a good job with the oats with a thicker base.