UK surgeon reveals his 6-ingredient lazy meal for busy days with ‘20g protein, 26g fibre and no protein powder’
Dr Rajan's smoothie, totalling 20g protein and 26g fibre, features Greek yoghurt for protein, dates for fibre, and cashews for digestive health.
Like vitamins, minerals, and carbs, fibre and protein are also among the most essential ingredients your body needs. A wholesome and healthy diet would be one that has all these nutrients. Moreover, starting your day with a protein and fibre-rich diet can help avoid energy crashes later in the evening.
However, on busy days, it can be difficult to prepare a full-fledged meal that is rich in nutritional value. On December 12, Dr Karan Rajan, a UK-based surgeon and popular health content creator, shared a lazy meal that he prefers eating on busy days.
A nutritional lazy meal for busy days
According to Dr Rajan, when he is too busy to make a proper meal, he prepares a smoothie that contains 20 g of protein, 26 g of fibre, and is made with just six ingredients, excluding protein powders. Here's what you will need to make the smoothie:
Ingredients
- 200g Greek yoghurt
- 25-30g cashews
- 5-6 dates
- 1 medium banana
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 sachet of prebiotic fibre powder
Health benefits
According to Dr Rajan, 1 cup of plain Greek yoghurt adds almost 20 g of protein to the smoothie. Additionally, it has calcium and postbiotics that strengthen the gut barrier.
As for the handful of dates, he explained, “Dates contain sorbitol, which acts as a natural sweetener and laxative because they draw water into the colon. That's 6 g of fibre.”
Next, he explained that a handful of cashews provides a mix of insoluble fibre to help bulk up the stool and soluble fibre to help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Cocoa powder contains 4 g of fibre and is rich in flavonoids, which support microbial diversity. Dr Rajan's cocoa powder is his favourite fibre cheat code.
Banana, on the other hand, not only has 3 g of fibre, but it also has a potent prebiotic known as fructooligosaccharides. According to WebMD, they are fructose-filled carbohydrates that you don't fully digest and are involved in a process that helps maintain the balance of good bacteria in your lower intestine.
Lastly, adding prebiotic fibre powder feeds different bacterial species. He used a version that contains 10 g of fibre from six different plant sources, and a mix of slow, medium, and fast-fermenting fibres.
According to Dr Rajan, obtaining a variety of different types of fibre is often as important as the total number of grams. And smoothies are a cheat code to getting that variety because you can just throw different fruits and seeds into the mix,” Dr Rajan advised in the end.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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