6 Ways to Use Turmeric to Boost Your Health
Everyday Health Diet & Nutrition
Personal Takes
5 Tips for a Super-Healthy Smoothie
By Johannah Sakimura, RD
7 Easy Tricks For a Healthier Bowl of Soup
4 Get-Healthy Resolutions for the New Year -- No Dieting Required
Smoothies are an easy and tasty way to incorporate more produce and other healthful ingredients into your diet, and they offer a lot of benefits that trendy juices don't. By blending whole fruits and vegetables rather than extracting the juice, you get the full dose of heart-healthy fiber, and you waste less of your pricey produce. If you choose your ingredients carefully, smoothies can deliver a balanced blend of protein, fat, and carbs, making them a suitable substitute for meals. Juices, on the other hand, are mostly carbohydrate, and if they're primarily fruit-based, they can be a concentrated source of sugar.
That said, smoothies aren't always a healthy choice. Store-bought smoothies can contain more than 15 teaspoons of sugar from syrups and juices, and homemade smoothies can trip you up, too. It's easy to get carried away when you're dumping a little of this and a little of that into a pitcher-sized blender (I fall into this trap myself). Even if you're being careful to use only nutritious, whole food ingredients, the calories can be excessive. To create a well-balanced beverage that won't weigh you down, consider these suggestions.
1. Limit Added Sweeteners
I recommend using whole fruit as the only sweetener in smoothies if at all possible. Unlike added sweeteners like maple syrup and honey, which supply only sugar, fruit provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial phytonutrients along with natural sweetness.Try using about a cup of fresh or frozen fruit as the base of your smoothie. Incorporate bananas, mango, pineapple, or orange slices for a sweeter profile, but steer clear of fruit juice, which is more concentrated in sugar and calories than whole fruit. To keep added sugar under control, you'll also want to choose plain, unsweetened yogurt and milks (many non-dairy milks like almond and coconut contain added sweeteners). When you're finished blending, taste the final product. If -- and only if -- it's still not sweet enough for your liking, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of your preferred sweetener (or, add 1 to 2 dates in place of sweetener).
2. Add Some Veggies to the Mix
For an extra shot of vitamins and minerals, try to incorporate a vegetable into your drink. My go-to is a handful of baby spinach leaves, but you can also blend in carrots, beets, or canned pureed pumpkin. Celery and cucumbers are also smoothie-friendly, but they aren't as nutrient-dense as deeply colored varieties. I like to combine leafy greens with berries, since the purple and blue hues mask the green color best.
3. Puree in Protein
Adding at least one protein-rich ingredient makes your smoothie more filling and substantial, which is especially important you're relying on it to stand in as a complete breakfast. Good options include plain low-fat yogurt, skim or 1% milk, soy milk, and silken tofu. Keep in mind that many non-dairy milks, including almond and coconut, provide minimal protein.
4. Watch the Extras
You can enhance your drink's nutritional profile by adding nuts and nut butters, avocado, chia or flax seeds, cocoa powder or cacao nibs, wheat germ, oats, and other healthful ingredients, but you'll also be increasing the calorie count. For example, each tablespoon of nut butter tacks on another 100 calories, and you could easily add 2 to 3 times that amount if you're scooping freehand from the jar. With high-cal ingredients, you may need to get out the measuring spoons to make sure you're not going overboard with portions. Which brings us to tip #5...
5. Do a Rough Calorie Count
I recommend doing some quick math to make sure you're not sipping more calories than you think, especially if you're watching your weight. If you're drinking a smoothie as your breakfast meal, 400 calories is a reasonable limit (men and active women can be more liberal). For a snack-sized smoothie, stick to around 200 calories.
One last tip: If you end up making more smoothie than you bargained for, pour the leftover mixture into ice pop molds. Your breakfast becomes a fruity frozen dessert to enjoy later in the week!
Last Updated:12/16/2016
Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health. See More
Any opinions, advice, statements, services, advertisements, offers or other information or content expressed or made available through the Sites by third parties, including information providers, are those of the respective authors or distributors and not Everyday Health. Neither Everyday Health, its Licensors nor any third-party content providers guarantee the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any content. Furthermore, neither Everyday Health nor its Licensors endorse or are responsible for the accuracy and reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made on any of the Sites or Services by anyone other than an authorized Everyday Health or Licensor representative while acting in his/her official capacity. You may be exposed through the Sites or Services to content that violates our policies, is sexually explicit or is otherwise offensive. You access the Sites and Services at your own risk. We take no responsibility for your exposure to third party content on the Sites or the Services. Everyday Health and its Licensors do not assume, and expressly disclaim, any obligation to obtain and include any information other than that provided to it by its third party sources. It should be understood that we do not advocate the use of any product or procedure described in the Sites or through the Services, nor are we responsible for misuse of a product or procedure due to typographical error. See Less
The Latest in Diet & Nutrition
Cutting Calories May Offer Health Benefits, Even if You Don't Need to Lose Weight
In a two-year study, nonobese participants who cut 300 calories from their diet reduced their cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, and other key...
What Is the Candida Diet? A Beginner's Guide, Food List, and 7-Day Meal Plan
What Is Cinnamon? A Comprehensive Guide to Using and Reaping the Health Benefits of This Popular Ancient Spice
A Complete Guide to Fennel: Health Benefits, Risks, Cooking Tips, Top Sellers, More
What Are the Health Benefits of Avocado, and Can It Help You Lose Weight?
All About Apple Cider Vinegar: How It Can Affect Your Health, How to Cook and Clean With It, and More
A Comprehensive Guide to Eating Bananas and Reaping Their Health Benefits
All About Broccoli: Nutrition, Health Benefits, How to Prepare It, and More
Caffeine 101: The Proven Health Benefits, How to Find It, and How Much Is Too Much
Caffeine is found in everything from coffee and green tea to chocolate and energy drinks, but just how healthy is this stimulant, really?
What Are Chia Seeds? A Comprehensive Guide to Reaping the Health Benefits of This Superfood
What Is Coconut? How to Enjoy the Fruit-Nut-Seed and What It Offers Your Health
All About Fiber: Why You Need It, the Top Sources, and What Happens if You Eat Too Much
A Detailed Guide to Matcha and the Health Benefits of the Buzzy Green Tea
A Detailed Guide to Ginger: What's in It, Why It's Good for You, and More
Coffee A–Z: A Guide to the History, Types, Benefits, and Risks of the Buzzy Drink
Sweet on Honey: What's in It, If It's Good for You, and All the Other Buzz on Nature's Golden Nectar
All About Kale: How to Eat and Prepare the Veggie for Good Health and Weight Loss
Drinking Less Improves Well-Being, Even in Moderate Drinkers, Study Finds
Alcohol affects how your central nervous system operates. Researchers found that even a little abstention may boost your mental health.
The Top Foods High in Vitamin C — and Why the Nutrient Is So Critical
Vitamin C helps strengthen your immune system, bones, blood vessels, and cells.
The 11 Foods Registered Dietitians Agree Are Bad for Weight Loss
Some of your favorites may be on this list, but in many cases you can find nutrition-packed alternatives to power you toward your goals.