Getting bored of toast and cereal? Look no further! This breakfast bowl is a tasty, colorful, and nutritious way to start your day. On top of which, it will keep you more than satisfied until lunchtime rolls around. Oh, and did we mention it’s also super simple to make and customize? Get ready to revolutionize your mornings…
What is a breakfast bowl?
We’ve all heard the adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While research is divided on whether this is true scientifically, there is evidence to support the benefits of a daily breakfast.(1) However, this very much depends on precisely what you’re eating for your morning meal! Enter the breakfast bowl. The concept of a breakfast bowl has enjoyed a lot of popularity in recent years. But what exactly is it? In essence, a breakfast bowl is a vibrant, photogenic, and nutritious morning meal bursting with wellness-boosting ingredients. The idea is that it gives you all the nutrients you need to kick-start your day in a healthy way. They’re intended to be beautiful to look at, as well as delicious and nourishing to eat. There are no strict rules about what you must include for a dish to be classed as a breakfast bowl. Of course, simply eating cereal in a bowl for breakfast doesn’t count as a breakfast bowl! Instead, you want to have a selection of thoughtfully chosen ingredients that provide you with a broad range of nutrients. That includes everything from vitamins and minerals to healthy fats, protein, and fibre. If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry! We’re here to make things easy with this scrumptious yet straightforward breakfast bowl recipe. In just 15 minutes, you can create a truly nourishing dish that keeps you satisfied all the way until lunch. As a bonus, it will also look stunning on your Instagram feed! And the best part is that once you know how to make a breakfast bowl, you’re able to have loads of fun customizing it. So, without further ado, let’s get into the details.
Wholesome and colorful: our breakfast bowl recipe
The bulk of this breakfast bowl is made up of frozen fruit and plant-based milk. The recipe suggests almond milk, but you can use another variety, like coconut or oat, if you prefer. We recommend using two frozen bananas for a gloriously creamy texture, plus 200g of mixed frozen berries. These will turn your breakfast bowl a gorgeous, deep pink, while adding plenty of flavor. We’ve deliberately kept things non-specific, so you can choose your favorites' berries for the recipe. Raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries all work beautifully, but feel free to experiment! To this base, you’ll add almond butter for a dose of healthy fat, calcium, vitamin E, and protein. Of course, you’re welcome to substitute this for another type of nut butter. From peanut to pistachio, each variety brings its own unique flavor to your breakfast bowl. Likewise, while we suggest maple syrup for your sweetener, you can swap this with agave nectar for a lighter taste. The recipe also calls for four teaspoons of chia seeds. In addition to their excellent health benefits (discussed below), these help thicken the texture of your breakfast bowl. That’s because they’re highly absorbent, and quickly form a gel when mixed with liquids. So there’s no need to worry about the consistency of your breakfast bowl being too thin. Finally, it’s time to bring some zest to your breakfast bowl. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon for a sunny kick – or use the whole lemon for extra vibrancy. Then add 10-20 drops of the star ingredient: sea buckthorn berry oil. This gives your breakfast bowl a fantastic sweet and botanical taste, plus takes the health benefits to the next level. More on that below! Simply mix everything together in a high-speed blender, and you’ll be ready to serve your breakfast bowl.
Go bananas
Having a banana breakfast bowl does more than just ensure you get a great consistency. This humble fruit also adds plenty of nutritional value to the dish. Firstly, bananas are a fantastic source of potassium. This mineral is vital for cardiovascular health, helping to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.(2) The potassium and magnesium in bananas also makes them a brilliant choice for before and after exercise. That’s because both minerals act as electrolytes and help your muscles to contract. All of which means this breakfast bowl is perfect for those mornings when you’re hitting the gym! Bananas are additionally rich in fiber, which provides a wealth of benefits. Fiber is important for digestive health, and also promotes feelings of fullness. The latter could make bananas handy for weight loss, as they decrease appetite while being relatively low in calories. Fiber may likewise be useful in moderating blood glucose levels and reducing blood sugar spikes. Moreover, bananas contain resistant starch that can have a prebiotic effect. That means they could work to stimulate the growth of good bacteria in your gut. This is important because the health of your gut microbiome influences everything from your immune system to the health of your brain.(3) Resistant starch may additionally improve insulin sensitivity, further benefiting your blood sugar management.
Chia seeds: a nutritional powerhouse
Chia seeds might be tiny, but they pack a real punch when it comes to nutrition. So it’s no surprise that they’re a very popular choice to include in a breakfast bowl. For starters, chia seeds are rich in key minerals that are vital for the health of our bones.(4) These include calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, which all help to keep bones strong. Like bananas, research also indicates that consuming chia seeds could be beneficial for regulating blood sugar and improving insulin resistance. Studies additionally suggest that eating chia seeds has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. This is because they’re high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, plus have anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, chia seeds are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3. All of which helps to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.(5) The fiber in chia seeds may further bolster our digestive health and gut microbiome. Similar to bananas, adding them to your breakfast bowl could promote feelings of fullness and reduce your appetite. That could make them useful in tackling obesity, although more research is required to confirm this. Moreover, chia seeds are bursting with antioxidants. Experts believe the specific antioxidants they contain – like chlorogenic acid and quercetin – have anti-cancer properties and help protect the liver.(6) They additionally defend our cells against the damage caused by free radicals, staving off chronic disease and signs of ageing. Lastly, chia seeds are a complete source of protein, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids. These are nutrients that our bodies can’t make on their own. So, if you’re wondering how to make breakfast bowl recipes even better, sprinkling these tiny seeds on top is an excellent option!
Singing the praises of sea buckthorn
Let’s turn to the key ingredient of this breakfast bowl – the sea buckthorn oil. If you haven’t come across it before, sea buckthorn is a bright orange berry that thrives in coastal regions. It has a sharp yet sweet tropical citrus flavor, and is bursting with wellness-enhancing nutrients. As such, it’s a perfect addition to your breakfast bowl. To give an example, sea buckthorn is rich in plant compounds called phytosterols. These help protect cardiovascular health by preventing the body from absorbing cholesterol, lowering the risk of it blocking your arteries.(7) Sea buckthorn further looks after the heart by helping to reduce blood pressure, as well as through its anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, sea buckthorn contains high levels of numerous key vitamins and minerals. These include vitamins C, E and K, along with copper, iron and zinc. All these nutrients play a vital role in our wellbeing, from supporting the immune system to producing healthy blood. For instance, sea buckthorn berries get their vivid color from beta-carotene, which our bodies convert into vitamin A. This helps to look after the health of our eyes and protect against vision loss. Like chia seeds, sea buckthorn is additionally rich in antioxidants, protecting us from a range of chronic illnesses and ageing. Research indicates the flavonoids it contains (e.g., quercetin) could also have anti-cancer effects, although more human studies are required to clarify this.(8) Finally, sea buckthorn oil offers a wealth of benefits for your skin. For example, it’s rich in omega-7, which helps the epidermis to create new skin cells and supports wound healing. Sea buckthorn could additionally encourage the production of collagen and keep your skin supple. Moreover, the antioxidants it contains may work to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for a youthful complexion.
Introducing our sea buckthorn berry oil
We source our sea buckthorn directly from small, independent farmers in Eastern Europe. They pick the berries by hand during the annual harvest season and juice them. This juice is then cold pressed in small batches to extract the natural oils. Our team uses approximately 50kg of fresh berries to create one litre of pure Organic Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil. We ship it out to you in environmentally friendly amber glass jars, which you can reuse or recycle once empty. In addition to this breakfast bowl, there are all sorts of other delicious recipes you can make with sea buckthorn. Simply add 10-20 drops to your favorite drinks and dishes to give them a beautifully sweet botanical taste. We love adding it to our morning smoothie for extra depth of flavor and a concentrated dash of nutrients. The only point to note is that the oil doesn’t like being heated, so it’s best to avoid using it in cooked meals. Sea buckthorn also brings a gorgeous red-orange hue to recipes like cocktails, mocktails, yoghurt and ice cream. This vivid color does mean you need to be careful when using sea buckthorn berry oil topically. To ensure it doesn’t stain your skin, dilute a small amount into a carrier such as almond oil. Then apply it at night for a luxurious and nourishing facial treatment. Don’t forget to store your sea buc
