Marco Borges superfood smoothie and wholesome granola recipes

0
490

By the end of January, some of us may have given up on New Year’s resolutions and planned lifestyle changes, but now it’s time to get back to your goals. Lifestyle coach and exercise physiologist Marco Borges stopped by TODAY to speak to Al Roker about how to be healthier in 2021.

For Borges, it’s about creating an environment that can lead to success, especially when it comes to nutrition. Another key is to add some exercise to your day: Borges said people should avoid sitting throughout their work day and try to create a time for you to walk around.

“It’s about creating an environment that is conducive to the results you want,” said Borges. “If you keep your house full of cookies and fries and try to avoid them, it probably won’t be that easy. … We want to improve our health. We want to make sure we eat well.” , clean food that is unprocessed, vegetables, fruits, seeds, legumes, grains that are good for us. “

To start the day strong, Borges offered two useful recipes that can give your morning a boost.

“The nice thing, Al, is that what happens when you make that early decision in the morning is an early win,” said Borges. “One good act perpetuates another good act.”

Start with a smoothie

Borges said a smoothie can be a great way to start the morning, but only if you use the right ingredients.

“At the end of the day, a smoothie can be superfood fuel for the day, or it can be like a donut in a blender,” said Borges. “It’s about making sure you put in foods from the earth (like) raw vegetables … It’s about creating the drink that you know will keep you going for the rest of the day.”

He explained that he usually starts the day with a superfood smoothie filled with fruits and other ingredients that he loves. Here is the recipe:

TODAY Illustration / Marco Borges

While you can customize it to your own tastes, Borges recommends using a base like almond or oat milk, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and some yogurt for extra nutrition and flavor. If you want an extra protein boost, try adding plant-based protein powders.

“People always ask, ‘If I don’t have a traditional scrambled egg, bacon or ham breakfast, am I getting the right amount of protein?’ So my solution to this is to just add a little protein at a time, “said Borges, who also recommended adding flaxseed or hempseed.

To avoid an unintentionally unhealthy smoothie, skip ingredients like commercial juices that can have sugar or high fructose corn syrup added and remove healthy nutrients like fiber.

“We want to take all of those fruits and vegetables, put them in a blender and make your own juice,” said Borges. “It’s a lot cheaper. You don’t throw a plastic bottle away. It doesn’t cost you $ 12 like some of those fancy juices. … For pennies you can make a great juice in your house.”

Get ready with homemade granola in advance

If a smoothie is not to your taste or you don’t have time to prepare the drink in the morning, Borges recommends making homemade granola, which takes just minutes to prepare and can be added to a variety of foods such as yogurt or eaten alone.

“You like pumpkin seeds? You like walnuts? You like almonds, cashews?” he asked. “Whatever you like raw nuts, you just toss them all in.”

Brain boosting cereal

Marco Borges

When buying muesli nuts, Borges recommends using raw nuts without the addition of oils, salts, sugars or other sweeteners.

Add a dash of maple syrup, toss the mixture and place it on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 325 °.

Granola can also be added to oats overnight, which can be prepared in advance and eaten as desired.