Tofu smoothie is perfect choice for a satisfying breakfast while you are on a diet. It’s nutritious and healthy that keeps you full until lunch time. Apart from that, the combination of strawberries and banana never fails our expectations of taste.
A standard main ingredient for smoothie might be yogurt. But I’m not a fan of that if I have in the morning. Although yogurt is recognized as a good choice for breakfast, I rather like to eat them after lunch or dinner for dessert. I don’t know why, but the slight tartness in yogurt bothers me only in the morning. If there is anyone who like me. This tofu smoothie is for you. Because tofu has a natural sweetness with a creamy texture. It even reduces the taste of the sourness in fruit.
So here is my favorite smoothie for breakfast. I will also introduce Japanese traditional ingredient called Kinako as a optional add-in. Let me talk about this Japanese super-food later on.
What the nutritious benefits of tofu for weight loss?
I guess that tofu is well known as low-calorie and high-protein food. The protein-rich food helps keep you feeling full longer, which is a good point. Another fact of the benefit is its low sugar content. According to the list of nutrition facts (Japanese page), while a slice of white bread has 26.6 g of sugar and yogurt has 11.9 g /100 g, silken tofu has only 1.7 g /100 g. So replacing tofu with bread, you can expect to ease rapid raise of blood glucose levels after eating. Rapid Increases of blood glucose levels causes of high insulin secretion. Because our body try to decrease blood glucose levels by insulin. The insulin prompts neutral fat if you take more sugar than you can use for energy in the body. This is what the excess sugar going to be. Therefore those who sitting at a desk all day at work like me doesn’t need to eat a lot of sugar. Because you will not be able to consume it all and it leads to weight gain.
What is Kinako?
In short, Kinako is roasted soybean powder. We normally eat with Mochi, sweet rice cake. Also, add into smoothies and other beverage.
Kinako contains a lot of nutrition such as protein, lipid, dietary fiber, calcium, iron, folic acid and vitamins. Particularly protein and fiber is high in Kinako. For the reason of rich in protein, it’s also called ”a meat of the field”. Kinako’s protein is 5 times higher than tofu per 100 g. And about 20 % of Kinako is dietary fiber. No wonder many Japanese athletes have Kinako drink. The high fiber food digests slowly in the body. Therefore Kinako added smoothie makes you feel full much longer.
Additional to nutrition side, I love its taste! The flavor is similar to roasted peanut. If you are a fan of peanut butter, definitely give it a try. You can buy it through amazon, Japan Center or local Asian grocery stores.
I talked about the health benefits of the ingredients. But apart from that, It’s very refreshing, creamy and super delicious. Also, taking a bit of many nutritions from different food is the best way to stay healthy.
I hope you enjoy the smoothie as one of your choices for your breakfast.
Resource: about inslin and Kinako (Japanese Page)
Tofu Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 150 g (5 oz) silken tofu
- 1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened soy milk
- 10 strawberry frozen
- 1 banana quartered and frozen / fresh
- 2 tbsp Kinako optional
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
