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Medically Reviewed
Unfold Today articles that require additional medical expertise are reviewed by a qualified member of our Expert Review Network, a group inside Unfold Today's team that verifies content to guarantee that the information delivered to our readers is thorough, authoritative, accurate, and fact-based.
Iulia Serban, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Master's degree in Nutrition and Quality of Life.
Collage and smoothie photo credit: Unfold Today. Novak Djokovic photo credit: Andrew Campbell.[1]
Although Novak Djokovic, one of the best tennis players in history, shared the ingredients of his special breakfast smoothie recipe before winning the 2015 US Open, he didn't mention a very important part of his recipe: the ingredient quantities.
"My special recipe is banana, coconut/rice/almond milk, cinnamon, chia seeds, protein powder, flax seed, cacao powder," Novak Djokovic wrote on Twitter one day before winning the 2015 US Open final against Roger Federer.[2]
The absence of the ingredient proportions is even more frustrating because five days before he listed the ingredients, Djokovic had shared a video teaser in which he counted the health benefits of his breakfast smoothie. Watch the video below.[3]
Starting my preparation for tonight #stayhealthy #2015usopen pic.twitter.com/pxiw5f4PpH
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) September 8, 2015
All in all, Djokovic left many of his fans curious about the complete smoothie recipe, and whether the drink would fit their diets.
Fortunately, as experts in preparing smoothies, especially weight gain smoothies, we used our guide for preparing high-calorie smoothies to find the right quantity for each ingredient listed by Novak.
Furthermore, we asked registered dietitian Iulia Serban to review the recipe to confirm it's healthy.
Before heading to the recipe, let's take a quick look at how many calories the smoothie has.
Smoothie's calories
The standard variant of Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie has 525 calories.
If you need more calories, however, you can modify ingredient quantities by following these guidelines:
Now, let's explore the recipe.
To make Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie, you need four pieces of kitchen equipment:
If you're wondering how exactly we set the quantity for each ingredient, here comes the explanation.
First of all, we included two medium-sized ripe or slightly ripe bananas for three reasons:
Second, since Djokovic didn't count chia and flax seeds among the first 3 ingredients, Novak likely uses the two types of seeds as secondary ingredients.
Therefore, we decided to add small servings of seeds to bring their health benefits into the mix without overpowering the taste of the smoothie.
Moreover, the smoothie includes 6.8 fl oz (200 ml) of coconut milk and not more of it because we need to keep bananas as the main ingredient. We completed the liquid base of the smoothie with 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) of water to ensure the smoothie is easy to drink.
Furthermore, we decided to use 1 scoop of rice protein powder because it's a classic serving size that brings enough plant-based protein to help with maintaining or building muscle.
When it comes to cinnamon and cocoa powder, since they both have a very aromatic taste, they should be used in small amounts to avoid making the smoothie too flavorful.
When he listed the ingredients for his breakfast smoothie recipe, Novak Djokovic mentioned he allows himself to substitute coconut milk with rice or almond milk.
Also, it's important to note that Djokovic forgot to mention the kind of protein powder he uses for his special smoothie. Fortunately, in his book "Serve to Win" Djokovic shares his preference for rice and pea protein concentrate, so those are likely his choices.
"After practice, I have an organic protein shake made from water mixed with rice or pea protein concentrate (which is sometimes called medical protein) and some evaporated cane juice. I don’t drink whey or soy shakes. I find that, for me, this is the fastest way to replenish," Djokovic writes in his book "Serve to Win".[4]
Peel the bananas and break them so they will fit in the blender.
Think whether all the ingredients will fit inside your blender.
If you use a small blender with a capacity of less than 750 ml (25.4 fl oz), break the ingredients into two or more identical portions, then follow the next instructions for each of them individually.
Add the ingredients to the blender making sure coconut milk and water end up at its bottom.
If you own a blender with an ingredient recipient that installs upside down on the blender, always add the coconut milk and water lastly. This way, the blades will work smoothly without clogging in other ingredients.
Blend the ingredients until the smoothie develops a fine texture (about 30-60 seconds).
If you own a less powerful blender, you may need to mix the ingredients for longer than 1 minute. Still, to prevent overheating your blender, abide by the recommended blending duration in your blender's manual.
Pour the smoothie into a glass or a shaker bottle, and serve.
From now on, you will be able to replicate a high-calorie variant of Novak Djokovic's breakfast smoothie in your kitchen. How awesome is that?
In terms of its flavor, the smoothie tastes bittersweet and has a cinnamon aroma while the bananas are hardly noticeable. Note that using unripe bananas or too many flax seeds can make the smoothie too bitter.
Although Djokovic doesn't say how much he stores his smoothie for, or if he does it at all, our general recommendation is to drink the smoothie right after blending. This way, you'll avoid any flavor or texture changes.
Alternatively, you can usually store smoothies in the fridge for about a day.
Out of the total calories of the smoothie, 58% come from carbohydrates, 26% from protein, and 26% from fats.
Therefore, Novak Djokovic's breakfast smoothie is a rich source of energy that also helps with building muscle.
Moreover, since the smoothie has less than 30% of its calories coming from fats, it counts among the low-fat high-calorie foods.
Now, for a more detailed breakdown, let's explore how each ingredient contributes to the smoothie's overall nutrition facts.
Source: FoodData Central - Raw bananas.[5]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
The two bananas bring 71% of the carbs in Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie. After all, bananas count among the fruits with the highest number of calories.
Source: FoodData Central - Chia seeds.[6]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Chia seeds, which count among the high-calorie snacks, bring 27% of the total fats in Novak's smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Flax seeds.[7]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Flax seeds, which also count among the snacks with the most calories, are responsible for 27% of the total fats in Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Coconut milk beverage.[8]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Coconut milk is responsible for 27% of the total fats in Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie.
Source: Nutritionix - Rice protein powder.[9]
Name: Nutritionix
Type: food database
Operated by: Syndigo LLC
Characteristics:
Rice protein powder is responsible for 74% of the total protein in Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Cocoa powder.[10]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
The cocoa powder brings 6% of the total fats in Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Ground cinnamon.[11]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie has plenty of health benefits, even more than the ones confirmed by Novak.
"I start my day preparing a smoothie that will help me fight the stress, give my body enough nutrients... there's a lot of stuff there, lots of minerals, lots of vitamins, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, good sources of omega-3," Djokovic said about his breakfast smoothie's benefits.[3]
Explore the most important health benefits of the smoothie below.
One of the most obvious benefits of consuming Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie is that it makes gaining weight easier without being too filling.
Stats confirm this.
According to the top of the best weight gain foods for females, 91% of the women who gain weight successfully consume smoothies.
Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie boosts caloric intake because it's nutritious, having 525 calories per serving. All those calories will help you get on a daily caloric surplus, the main condition for gaining weight.
Nevertheless, note that a person with an extremely active lifestyle like Novak Djokovic needs much more calories to maintain or gain weight than the average person.
Besides increasing your total caloric intake, Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie enables you to eat more because, unlike many solid foods, it keeps your appetite satisfied only for brief periods.
As evidence, a University of Bristol study compared fruit smoothies with fresh fruits and other drinks in terms of satiety. They concluded that fruit smoothies are more filling than drinks that are less alike to food (e.g., water and milk) but less filling than solid foods.[12]
Name: A Comparison of the Satiety Effects of a Fruit Smoothie, Its Fresh Fruit Equivalent and Other Drinks
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrients (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: University of Bristol
Another benefit of drinking Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie is that it can increase your ability to build muscle because it has 34 g of proteins, most of which come from the rice protein powder in the smoothie's composition.
As proof, a pre-workout serving of 20 g of protein, according to a University of Birmingham trial on protein ingestion effects, is enough to promote muscle-building.[13]
Name: Stimulation of net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after exercise
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (peer-reviewed journal)
In addition, because it has between 20 and 40 g of protein, Djokovic's smoothie can replace pre-workout meals for muscle gain.
Djokovic's morning smoothie increases energy levels because it's loaded with carbs, most of which come from the two bananas in the smoothie's composition.
After all, as stated in a University of Lausanne study on the energy potential of carbs, carbohydrates are the main energy source for humans.[14]
Name: Carbohydrates as a source of energy
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (peer-reviewed)
Made at: University of Lausanne
Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie can strengthen bones because it contains chia seeds and flax seeds, two plant-based sources of calcium.
The chia seeds in Djokovic's smoothie bring 88 mg of calcium while flax seeds bring 25 mg of calcium. Therefore, Novak's smoothie provides 12% of the daily recommended intake of calcium.
Per Djokovic, consuming his high-calorie breakfast smoothie will get you loaded with antioxidants. This is true, given the smoothie contains six antioxidant sources:
Antioxidants, according to a scientific review of antioxidants, increase health protection and disease prevention.[15]
Name: Antioxidants: Molecules, medicines, and myths
Type: journal article
Published in: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (peer-reviewed journal)
Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie is also good for the heart because it improves cholesterol levels, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, and reduces blood pressure.
More specifically, here are some of the components in Djokovic's smoothie that improve heart health:
As scientific proof, a review of the effects of potassium says that potassium lowers blood pressure.[12]
Name: Beneficial Effects of High Potassium
Type: journal article
Published in: Hypertension (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: Medical College of Wisconsin
Moreover, a French scientific review of the link between alpha-linolenic acid (AHA) and coronary heart disease concluded that AHAs are a major cardio-protective nutrient.[17]
Name: Alpha-linolenic acid and coronary heart disease
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases (NMCD)
Made at: Université Joseph Fourier
Furthermore, according to a scientific review of flavonoids' effects on cardiovascular health, they can reduce blood pressure and promote blood flow to the brain.[18]
Name: The Effects of Flavonoids on Cardiovascular Health: A Review of Human Intervention Trials and Implications for Cerebrovascular Function
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrients (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: University of Reading
Again, as Djokovic said, his smoothie also contains ingredients that reduce inflammation.
High inflammation levels, according to a Nature Medicine study on chronic inflammation, can rise the risk of chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.[19]
Name: Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span
Type: journal article
Published in: Nature Medicine (peer-reviewed journal)
Another benefit of drinking Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie is that it's affordable. The ingredients used to make the smoothie cost a total of $3.3.
In the end, the main ingredient of the smoothie, the bananas, and flax seeds, count among the cheapest high-calorie foods.
To follow Novak Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie recipe in a compact format, use the summary below.
If you decide to make Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie, let us know by taking a picture of the result and tagging it @unfoldtoday on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook.
Also, don't forget to leave a comment and a rating in the comment section found at the very end of this article.
And if you haven't already tried the recipe, we encourage you to do so and share the result with us.
Now, why don't you explore other smoothie recipes below?
If you want to try other homemade smoothies that can help you gain weight besides Djokovic's High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie, visit our full list of high-calorie smoothie recipes,
And in case you wish to get creative, you can build your own high-calorie smoothie recipes. Learn what can you add to your smoothie and how to bring extra calories to it from our guide on how to make high-calorie smoothies for weight gain.
And if it happens to get bored of smoothies...
Try switching high-calorie smoothies for high-calorie shakes.
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