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The Perfect Breakfast

Dr. Nadeau is an accomplished physician who brings extensive experience to and the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center as Program Director and Endocrinologist at Hoag Medical Group . While he has many areas of interest, the majority of his recent work, research, and lectures focus on diabetes, obesity, and nutrition.

Struggling to find the perfect breakfast? You might be thinking: how can I have something that 1) tastes incredibly good and is also 2) fabulously healthy? With some thought, the answer you dream up might well be your own personal version of a blueberry smoothie.

Blueberry smoothies are incredibly good tasting and healthy! From my own very unscientific survey, 99 out of 100 love the taste. That means for almost everyone, criteria number one is satisfied.

To help protect the body from aging and disease, and keep it as healthy as possible, the blueberry smoothie is almost ideal. It quiets the storm within by absorbing free radicals. Blueberry studies in animals have suggested improvement in memory and motor skills, increased brain nerve growth, even a suggestion of protection from an animal version of Alzheimer’s disease. Human studies have suggested memory benefits and protection from diabetes. Other foods can be added to supercharge the protection, but criteria number 1, great taste, should always be the goal as well. That is a key reason why you should try a number of recipes to find one that you really love.

The basic recipe includes fresh or frozen blueberries, vanilla unsweetened almond milk, and a pea-based protein powder. Optional ingredients include mixed berries, a banana, spinach, almonds, flax seed, a touch of clove powder, cocoa beans, and stevia. It turns out that combining a number of foods with high antioxidant protection has a synergistic effect on the overall benefits. Cover the dry ingredients of your choice with the almond milk, blend and enjoy! It is fast, easy and can be tuned to your own taste buds.

Recipe to be adapted by you!
In blender:

  • One scoop of pea-based protein powder
  • One banana
  • 1 cup of blueberries
  • Vanilla unsweetened almond milk to cover dry ingredients

Optional ingredients:

  • 1 cup spinach or greens
  • Cocoa beans
  • Pinch of powdered cloves
  • Vanilla flavor
  • Stevia