Almond Berry Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

An easy low carb, high protein berry almond breakfast smoothie recipe perfect for gestational diabetes.

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Why an Almond Berry Breakfast Smoothie?

Not only is breakfast a rush or afterthought due to hectic mornings, but factor in nausea during pregnancy and you might squirm at the thought of breakfast.

Sometimes liquids go down and stay down much easier than food. But it's a delicate situation with gestational diabetes because carbs in liquids are processed more quickly than carbs in foods. So taking great caution with breakfast smoothies is vital.

Best of all, you can have this homemade protein smoothie for breakfast, dessert or a snack, or whenever nausea gets the best of you!

Recipe Modifications

The great thing about a homemade protein smoothie is you can adjust it to your taste and save the money on store bought protein shakes you may not like.

Choose any berry you like because they're all great for diabetics. I personally prefer blackberries and blueberries with almond flavoring.

Keep in mind that blackberries and raspberries have tiny seeds that you'll feel.

Adding Protein

Easily add more protein without altering the taste with 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds. These add just 1g carb of fiber and 10g of protein. However, they will add texture.

This smoothie already has texture to it, so I don't suggest adding hemp seeds if you like your smoothies to be completely smooth. They're so small that the blender won't break them down; they'll just be mixed throughout.

Another way to add protein is to add more Greek yogurt, but this will alter the taste, making it tangy-er. And it'll also add more carbs and fat.

The last suggested way to add more protein is by adding more almond butter. You can double the almond butter and it still won't overpower the berries, but it will make the smoothie thicker and add more fat.

Consistency

Add more yogurt or almond butter to thicken it up, or thin it down with a milk alternative or water. Try ¼ cup of liquid at a time. This amount of water won't dilute the taste and it's a great because it doesn't add carbs!

Complete the Meal

If you don't think 8 ounces of smoothie is enough to last you until morning snack, cut the serving size in half and eat your preferred low carb, high protein breakfast with it: eggs, breakfast meat, a protein pancake, etc.

Here are some delicious ways to complete the meal. The Breakfast Hash and Breakfast Burrito Casserole are great to make ahead!

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Storing

Store it in the refrigerator in a closed container for up to 3 days without losing its fresh taste. Give it a shake before drinking.

Nutrition Highlights

Vitamin D is the only outstanding nutrient here, which pregnant women are known to be highly deficient in. Insufficient Vitamin D puts you at higher risk for preeclampsia, infant low birth weight and gestational diabetes.

Sufficient Vitamin D is absolutely crucial to your baby's bone development. Interestingly though, Vitamin D is the ONLY vitamin whose primary source isn't in food. We get the vast majority of our Vitamin D from the sun.

This information was obtained from Real Food for Pregnancy.

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Recipe