Why I Replaced Protein Powder with Beans in My Smoothies

My smoothie journey has been nothing short of evolutionary.

Photo by Mikey Frost

I have always been a breakfast eater. I remember when I was a kid, my mom would always make me breakfast. Sometimes it was eggs, other times it was pancakes or waffles. Some days, I would make myself breakfast cereal with milk.

The thing that I loved the most was reading the back of the cereal box. That is what we did before the days of scrolling on a cell phone.

As I became an adult, I continued to eat breakfast but during the work week, I would usually have breakfast cereal augmented by eggs on the weekend.

About 7 or 8 years ago, I noticed that I wasn't feeling great after breakfast (even after switching to the healthier, organic cereals. I don't know if it was the milk sensitivity or the lack of real nutrition that was derived from the cereal, even though it was fortified with vitamins.

After consulting with some friends, my wife and I embarked on making smoothies. We purchased an organic protein powder with Mary Beth choosing the chocolate flavor and me picking the veggie flavor. Researching the ingredients, it had everything we could ask for including 20 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber (21% of your daily allowance) and up to 50% of the daily allowance needed across over 15 vitamin categories.

Mary Beth's smoothies were fairly basic with the protein powder, a banana, ice, one or two other supplements and she was good to go. Mine was much more involved adding frozen fruit, bananas, ginger, and a few other items.

Over time, my smoothie kept getting more involved. I should mention now that I pre-make the smoothies on Sunday for the 5 workdays, usually still having eggs or an Acia bowl on the weekends. In general, I felt great and so much better than I did when I was having cereal and milk. I even talked about it in my TEDx Talk, How Drinking Olive Oil and Curiosity Changed My Life.

However, a few months ago, Mary Beth started to pull back on her smoothies referencing that she was starting to feel bloated from them, and for me, it wasn't having the same effect that it had when I started. Something was off and I couldn't put my finger on it.

Then I read a post by Azadeh Gharehgozlou about protein bars and the reason why people are experiencing the same symptoms as Mary Beth. It was the way some of the proteins were processed. As a result, I decided to do something which seemed a bit radical but honestly, not that strange once I started digging into it a bit more.

I replaced my protein powder with a combination of 1 can of Black Beans and 1 can of Garbanzo Beans (also known as Chickpeas). I think I almost gave my mom a heart attack reading this as I can't tell you how many times she tried to get me to eat beans as a kid. Now I am putting them in my smoothies and consuming them daily.

The reality is that the black and garbanzo beans don't have a taste, and their texture gets mixed in with everything else. I do want to share that I do eat both on a regular basis anyway, but this is a deliberate way to consume both daily.

I also wrote in another post, How I’m Planning to Live to 110: A Longevity Mindset Inspired by the Blue Zones, where the author, Dan Buettner shared that one of the best foods that people consume in the Blue Zones regions are beans and they are consumed on a daily basis due to their inexpensive cost combined with their high protein and fiber content.

For those of you who are wondering, here is what I put into my smoothies. I use an older version of the Ninja Professional and we also have this Ninja blender version for more daily use.

My ingredient list is as follows:

• Frozen Wild Maine Blueberries

• Frozen Organic Strawberries

• Frozen Pineapples

• Frozen Spinach

• 2 Bananas

• 1 can of Black Beans

• 1 can of Garbanzo Beans

• 3 Tablespoons of Local Honey

• 2 Tablespoons of Pure Maple Syrup

• 3 cubes of fresh cut Ginger

• 1 Fresh Turmeric Root (or 1 tablespoon of the Turmeric Spice)

• 1/4 cup of Steel Cut Oats (I pre-grind them so I am not chewing my smoothie)

• Ground Pepper

• 1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

• 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon of Cayanne Pepper

• 5 scoops of Bran

• 2 scoops of Peanut Butter Powder

• 2 scoops of Cacao Powder

• Daily, I add a trio blend of Chia, Hemp, and Flax Seed Mix (because it will expand and harden if premade)

I think I got it all. I know this combination of foods is not for everyone (including my family), but it works for me. Plus, I know I am getting a well-balanced breakfast each day.

I would love to hear about your breakfast / smoothie experiences in the comments below.

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