Chocolate Oat Smoothie

Modern times have always been synonymous with fast-paced, mechanised ways of living which require minimum effort but produce maximum efficiency. The Smoothie (a churned mixture of various solid food items) is a direct consequence of that concept. Hailed by health aficionados and people struggling to maintain the perfect work-life balance, Smoothies are a one-stop solution for ingesting everything essential, at a single go.

The concept of the Smoothie was first invented back in the 1930s when people residing on the American West Coast began bowdlerising Brazilian culinary traditions of producing mixed juices with other ingredients like nuts. In fact, the Banana Smoothie and Pineapple Smoothie were the first variants to attain global acceptance and fame. Both these concoctions made their way into the much-used and popular Waring “Blendor” cookbooks.

Smoothies gained prominence in the '60s and later entered the mainstream in the '90s when cafes, restaurants and supermarket chains began selling these drinks across counters. The Smoothie is essentially a blend of anything that one may prefer. Though the drink initially consisted of sweet permutations (of fruits with yoghurt or simply fruits with syrup), the more modern versions have come up with vegetable smoothies as well.

For a fast-expanding, health-conscious demography, oats have become a popular cereal that not only has high fibre content, but is a quick meal preferred over other unhealthy options. Oats have found major use in Smoothies, making the concoction both thick and filling. Many lactose intolerant individuals even opt for the oat milk option in their Smoothies. Vegans also prefer this grain over other starchy ones like rice or wheat.

The chocolate oat variant is thus, nothing but a healthy twist to the traditional Chocolate Smoothie. Addition of oats makes the drink way more robust and gut-friendly, aiding quick digestion and assimilation. Oats are said to have high nutritional value and vitamin content. The enhanced levels of dietary fibres and antioxidants also makes it extremely popular as a quick mid-day meal.