Smoothie recipes can vary depending on who's making them and their occasion. However, the one common ingredient among all smoothies is fruit. Fruit is what makes the smoothie sweet, textured, and nutritious. But, not all smoothies are created equal. Just because a smoothie contains fruit doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy. In addition to the fruit, ingredients can range from ice cream to artificial sweeteners, and loads of extra calories. If you are looking for smoothie recipes that are healthy and relatively low in calories follow these basic instructions.
Don't add fruit juice!
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Most smoothie recipes include additional sugars in the form of fruit juices into the smoothie. This makes the smoothie extra sweet, but is also adds a lot more sugar and extra calories that you don't need. Fruit is sweet enough, and you most likely don't need to add additional sugar to make it taste good. If you need liquid; add water, almond milk, rice milk, or coconut milk.
Add protein!
If you're making a smoothie for breakfast, meal replacement or post workout meal, make sure to add some protein to your drink. Some smoothie recipes may use a form of dairy such as yogurt for a protein source; this is ok, but opt for organic plain yogurt because most flavored yogurts contain loads of sugar. Other sources of protein include: eggs, whey protein, or rice protein powder.
Think meal and extras!
Most smoothie recipes don't view the smoothie as a meal and forget to leave room for healthy extras. Some additional sources of nutrients that you can add to the smoothie without affecting the taste include essential fatty acids and veggies. A good source of essential fat to add is flax seed oil. You can also add green vegetables in the form of a powder instead of the actual produce for extra vitamins and minerals.
A smoothie can be a great replacement for a meal if it includes protein along with the fruit. If you can omit the extra sugar that most smoothie recipes include it will be easier on your waistline.
Here is an example of a great smoothie recipe.
• One small banana
• ½ cup of blue berries
• 2 scoops of whey protein isolate
• 1 scoop of nitrogreens (powder vegetables)
• ½ cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of flax seed oil
You can mix and match fruit, but try to stick with fruits that are lower in sugar like berries. Also, make sure your banana doesn't contain brown spots. The longer a banana sits, the more sugar it contains, a little green is good.
Smoothie Recipes That Can Make You Skinny
Dr. Kevin Dobrzynski DN, The Fitness Doctor
Dr. Kevin Dobrzynski DN, The Fitness Doctor helps busy people lose weight using simple real-world weight loss solutions. He is the author of "How To Get Skinny Without Doing Cardio". Go to http://TheFitnessDoctor.net and register to receive the Free audio on "4 Big Mistakes People Make With Exercise When Trying to Lose Weight."