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24th May: Quick Banana and Flaxseed Breakfast with Berries
Energising, Nutrient-dense, rich in fibre, low-GI, lots of antioxidants, lignans & good fat Omega-3
I’ve had this and its various permutations have as a quick healthy flax breakfast for years. It tastes lovely and it keeps me going through the day without needing to snack.
This morning I woke up feeling a bit drained after a very busy week, long hours and late nights – and dare I admit, a typical pub chain unhealthy meal last night! So no time, energy or imagination to spend making breakfast today.
A bowl of this flax breakfast was perfect, all washed down with a coffee, and as it was Saturday, a couple of squares of dark 80% chocolate, and my energy level was up and running again.
Adding Flaxseed Oil is a Great Way to Get More Omega-3
In the early days, when I didn’t know many ways to use flax, I used to make this to get the 2-3 teaspoons of Flax Farm Cold-pressed Flaxseed Oil that I needed every morning as part of the Overcoming MS recovery program I used to help reverse a troublesome skin condition.
An Unprocessed Whole Food Plant Based dessert
Doctors and nutrition experts are encouraging us to eat more unprocessed plants and that’s just what this is. Whether for adults or children needing a bit more to finish a meal this is a great way to incorporate the sweetness one craves in a healthy way that provides super nutrition – in fact, its the opposite of the UPFs, ultra processed desserts that supermarkets try to tempt people with.
This is also gluten-free, raw and paleo.
🍓 Recipe: Banana and Flaxseed with berries
For omega-3, high fibre and Low GI with lots of antioxidant nutrition
Ingredients:
75g fresh strawberries
50g raspberries
50g blueberries
30g chopped/broken walnuts
1 medium banana
- 1-3 teaspoons Flax Farm Cold-Pressed Flaxseed Oil (optional)
Instructions:
Place banana in a bowl and mash roughly with a fork.
Add ground flaxseed, if using Flaxseed Oil, add that too and mash it all together. .
Over the top of this add the berries and walnuts
Dig in and enjoy.
Options
- Add yoghurt, soya yoghurt or a dollop of silken tofu for extra protein
- Try adding more or different fruit, it’s a good way of using up fresh, frozen or cooked fruit.
- Try more or different nuts and seeds as suits.
- Fresh grated ginger root or a more modest amount of ground ginger adds more anti-inflammatory power to the breakfast
- Turmeric, tastes nice in sweet foods. About 1/4 teaspoon is about what you want if you want increase the anti-inflammatory properties of this breakfast without overpowering the flavour. Turmeric goes surprisingly well with strawberries, so increase them and perhaps add a little healthy sweetener and some type of yoghurt.
Serving Suggestion:
Perfect for breakfast, snack – great after exercise, or light dessert.
Why this recipe is so healthy
I’m sure all the web nutrition experts would agree this is a good healthy meal or addition to a meal. It’s certainly going along the right lines for Michael Greger’s Nutrition-Facts advice to eat more whole plants, and a good contribution (6 plants) to Tim Spector’s Zoe philosophy of eating 30 plants a week. Flaxseed is a special healthy food – full of health giving nutrients hard to find in the rest of our modern diets.
I put this through a nutrition AI tool and this explains nicely what makes this so healthy.
The omega-3, high fibre, low GI, and a lot of the antioxidants come mainly from the ground flaxseed. The berries add to the breadth of antioxidant types. The Flaxseed and Walnuts add a good helping of protein which you don’t usually expect from a plant-based, fruity breakfast.
Approximate Glycaemic Index (GI)
| Ingredient | GI (approx.) |
| Ground flaxseed (25g/2 tbsp) | ~15 (very low) |
| Strawberries (75g) | ~40 (low) |
| Raspberries (50g) | ~32 (low) |
| Blueberries (50g) | ~53 (moderate) |
| Walnuts (30g) | ~15 (very low) |
| Banana (medium, ~120g) | ~51 (low–moderate) |
Overall GI of the mix: ~40–45 (low GI)
The combination of fats, fibre, and low-GI fruits keeps the total glycaemic response relatively low despite the banana.
Approximate Nutritional Breakdown
Per Serving
(25g ground flaxseed, 75g strawberries, 50g raspberries, 50g blueberries, 30g walnuts, 1 medium banana)
| Nutrient | Amount |
| Calories | ~450 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | ~43 g |
| – Sugars | ~23 g |
| – Fibre | ~13 g |
| Protein | ~7.5 g |
| Total Fat | ~30 g |
| – Saturated Fat | ~2.2 g |
| – Omega-3 (ALA)** | ~6 g |
| Glycaemic Index (est.) | ~42 (Low GI) |
| Vitamin C | High |
| Vitamin E | Moderate |
| Magnesium | ~100–120 mg |
| Potassium | ~650–750 mg |
| Folate (B9) | Present |
| B6, B1 | Present |
| Antioxidants | Very High |
💡 Using 25g flaxseed boosts fibre, protein, and Omega-3 (ALA) significantly – making this a heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory option.
The recipe provides good levels of magnesium and potassium, plus it’s good good helping of natural (the best way to get it) Vitamin C.
Summary:
This mix is nutrient-dense, fibre-rich, low-GI, and full of antioxidants and healthy fats, mainly omega-3 whilst being low in saturated fat. It’s ideal for stable energy, blood sugar control, and overall health. It also provides a good helping of hormone balancing lignans.