How to make a banana smoothie

The fibre in bananas, both soluble and insoluble, helps to protect the body against bowel cancer, stabilize blood glucose levels, and lower harmful blood cholesterol. Bananas also contain vitamin B6, important for making red blood cells and breaking down protein and fats. Here is a recipe to help incorporate this super food into your diet.

Preparation 5 minutes

Chilling 30 minutes

Serves 4

• 2 ripe bananas
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) honey
• 2 g (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon
• 15 g (1 heaping tbsp) wheat germ
• 240 g (1 c) low-fat plain yogurt
• 275 g (1 1/4 c) orange juice Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Add ripe bananas to a blender with honey, ground cinnamon and wheat germ. Blend for 10 seconds, then add low-fat plain yogurt, orange juice and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Blend again until smooth.

2. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge before pouring into four tall glasses.

• Wheat germ is a tiny part of the wheat kernel that is high in protein, vitamin E and potassium. You will find it in the cereal aisle in the supermarket or in health food stores.
• This smoothie is best drunk within an hour of making because it will thicken as the wheat germ absorbs liquid and the vitamin C content will begin to deteriorate.

Nutritional information: 136 calories • 1 g fat • 0 g saturated fat • 30 g carbohydrates • 4 g protein • 1 g fibre