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.

Also Read | Orthopedic surgeon shares 10 things he avoids after years of working with bones: ‘Protecting joints is a long game’

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.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.