What are the best ingredients for a biohacking breakfast smoothie?
I’ve decided I want to improve my breakfast. I have been eating steel cut oatmeal with cocoa powder. I’d like something different and healthier. So far these are the ingredients I thought would be best:
What would you add?
Smoothies are terrible for your teeth and blood sugar
I’m sure there are some healthy ingredients you can add.
Blending it up will make “healthy” ingredients unhealthy. See smoothies for what they are, an occasional treat, not a health food
I’m not sure I agree with that.
I love berry’s smothies and in my case I mitigate the glucose spike adding chia seed, or flax seed or oat, etc. And…drinking after my protein stack + acarbose!
After a good run I reward myself with a smoothie from the health food store.
spirulina
spinach
pea protein
cacao nibs
cranberries
banana
apple juice
My morning shake is a convenience thing rather than a reward, delicious thing. And it is variable to accommodate my mTOR cycle
Daily (except on weekend when I skip everything)
Cacao
Pea protein (if not a low protein day)
Moringa (if a low protein day)
Chlorella (if not a low protein day)
My supplements: powders and capsules
Filtered water
…tastes nasty but it’s over quickly
My breakfast is in addition:
Steelcut oats
Mixed berries
Almond protein powder (if not a low protein day)
Wheat germ
Hard boiled egg (if not a low protein day)
I see you both use steel cut oats — what’s the reasoning? I had thought that the glycemic index of oats are very high and there aren’t many nutrients. I’m unlikely to eat them anyway because i am low carb but obviously i must be mistaken about their value. Thanks.
I’m looking for a better breakfast. Unfortunately I haven’t really found anything better. That’s part of the reason for this thread. To find a healthier longevity breakfast.
Preparation time and complexity is not a problem for me. Any good ideas?
I prefer to eat rather than drink my calories but assuming you want an easy way to get nutrition in I would choose:
Berries (blueberries/strawberries whatever you prefer)
goji berries
Low oxalate greens eg kale
Flax seed/ walnuts
ginger
cinnamon
soy milk (or another plant protein source)
If you are exercising then a carbohydrate source like oats are good but blending oats can produce a higher blood sugar spike than having them whole.
I won’t be held responsible for taste 
I also use steel cut oats, the glycemic index is in the low 50s which is low on the glycemic index but I would class as moderate.
I consider oats a very good source of nutrition. Probably not as good as some vegetables on a per calorie basis but still useful. Good source of copper, iron, selenium, magnesium, manganese and zinc on the mineral front.
Not as impressive on the vitamin front but does ok from a b vitamin perspective.
People rate it for the fibre it provides as well as containing large amounts of beta-glucan.
Plus when you look at the health effects of the actual food in studies it performs very well. Looking at the nutritional composition of a food can be helpful but looking at the outcome data for people eating the food is far more informative.
My morning smoothie ingredients:
Kefir (home made)
2 berries out of 5 that I rotate (blueberries, strawberries, lingonberries, Aronia, cranberries).
Plant protein
Marine collagen
Matcha
Cacao
Source?
This study says otherwise (Postprandial Glycemic Response to Whole Fruit versus Blended Fruit in Healthy, Young Adults - PMC)
Have you tried BJ’s nutty pudding?
Late morning after workout
Organic blueberries or strawberries
Optional banana
Pea protein (Chocolate flavour)
Collagen (Vanilla flavour)
Psyllium Husk
Inulin
Blend and add
Steelcut oats
Walnuts
Pecans
Flaxseeds
Pistachios
If not working out
Kefir
Blueberries aroniaberries
1/2 lemon
Collagen (Vanilla flavour)
Psyllium husk
Inulin
Flaxseeds
Pecans
Walnuts
Steelcut Oats
Here is Mark Hyman’s smoothie recipe:
Dr. Mark Hyman, the founder and senior advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and author of Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life, shares his daily routine on social media and in his book. Starting the day right is critical, he says.
“I am on a pretty aggressive regimen,” he tells Fortune.
Instead of grabbing a sweetened coffee, muffin, or cereal, which provide only short energy bursts, Hyman turns to what he calls his “healthy aging shake.” Packed with protein, the shake is a staple in his morning routine; it’s how he breaks his daily 16-hour fast.
“Protein is really important in a fasted state because that activates our stem cells, creates muscle synthesis [and] builds our muscle mass, which is critical to healthy longevity and function,” he tells Fortune.
According to the 2020–2025 dietary guidelines, about 50% of women and 30% of men 71 and older don’t get enough protein; some experts recommend people get 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight and increase their intake to between 0.45 to 0.54 grams of protein per pound of body weight beginning at age 40. Optimal protein intake per person depends on factors like exercise, pregnancy, and age, to name a few.
Additionally, the mitochondria in our cells, which provide energy and are critical to a cell’s survival, diminish as we age, so Hyman says his shake helps with mitochondrial regeneration.
Source: Longevity expert's 'healthy aging shake' recipe | Fortune Well
And, related: (I get the feeling that Hyman has a sponsorship deal with Gut Food and Timeline Nutrition… see here, and here (he sells Gut Food on his website).
Smoothies still spike blood glucose, they still contain quite a few (almost) empty calories and they are still terrible for your teeth
No smoothies. Three eggs with cheese, 8oz steak, coffee.
Sounds like a major over generalization to me. If none of the ingredients in the smoothie have a high glycemic index or sugar content, then putting these ingredients into a blender is not going to magically turn them into something else. You don’t have to put fruit or sugar in your smoothie to call it a smoothie. You can also brush your teeth after meals.