ACAI BOWL

what? First things first: it’s ah-sigh-ee. Now that’s out of the way, you’ll have seen this plastered over Pinterest: a thick blended smoothie of frozen acai berries poured into a bowl and topped with fruit, seeds and nuts. Full-on fitness food porn.

the tribe Sets her alarm an hour early in order to chop, blend and sprinkle. Her kitchen could be the set of a cooking show, such is the array of blenders on display – it weren’t for the chia seeds everywhere. Can usually be found in the kitchenware department of John Lewis buying yet another Kilner jar.

the nutrition The Amazonian acai berry has a great rep, but legit science is pretty slim. Sure, it’s good for you, but no more so than home-grown berries. And by the time you’ve topped it with more fruit, there’s a whole lot of sweet in that bowl. ‘I’m wary of fruit smoothies – particularly for breakfast,’ says Panagos. ‘You want to start the day by balancing your blood sugar levels. When you blend fruit into a puree, the sugar is more easily absorbed by the body and this puts an extra load on the liver.’ She suggests swapping in some leafy greens, then making sure you’re getting enough protein and fat by adding nuts and seeds to the bowl. Try as an afternoon snack instead.