Smoothies are great for losing weight. Often had in replacement to a meal, smoothies contain a host of nutrients and are often low in calorie content. They can be an excellent addition to your weight loss regime, however, you have to ensure that you control the amount of added sugar and sugar-based products in the contents of a smoothie.
You may be asking yourself the question, how effective are smoothies in helping you attain your weight loss ambition? Well, there are two sides to the story. Smoothies can be wonderfully healthy and nutritious, however, when it comes to losing weight, smoothies alone isn’t enough.
The problem with smoothies is that they only allow you to ingest your food in liquid form. It is like drinking soup. Now though soup can be nutritious and healthy, it isn’t very filling; unless you have a whole lot of soup. Similarly, smoothies have the tendency to make you hungry after a while, leading you to snacking. Solid food in general does a better job of controlling your appetite as opposed to liquids.
Hence when you are trying to lose weight, don’t simply rely on smoothies. Ensure to balance your diet with plenty of solid food to supplement your liquid intake. For instance, as an ideal breakfast, you could have an omelette and then follow that up with a fruit smoothie. You are more likely to stay full this way.
Do Smoothies Help With Weight Loss?
Smoothies are packed with nutrients. Usually, they contain whole foods like fruits, vegetables, yoghurt and healthy fats. Some smoothies do contain added sugars, which is where the negative press to smoothies comes from. Smoothies with added sugars have negative effects on weight loss. Otherwise, smoothies can be high in protein and fibre and can be a great way to facilitate weight loss.
Now don’t get us wrong, smoothies work really well to keep you full. However, smoothies like other liquids have less satiety. What do we mean by satiety? It is the opposite of hunger. Less satiety means smoothies are less likely to keep you full when compared to solid food. That being the case, smoothies can be rather filling, and there are plenty of people who can vouch for this.
However, smoothies alone aren’t going to help you lose weight. You would have to add smoothies into an already balanced, healthy diet. This way, you get to enjoy the goodness of a smoothie and reap all the benefits of them on your weight loss journey.
Smoothies can help with weight loss. They are loaded with antioxidants and has various anti-inflammatory benefits. They are often touted as a diet food and a way to detox the body.
Drinking smoothies alone isn’t enough to lose weight. You simply cannot expect to drink smoothies all day and expect to lose weight. That isn’t considered healthy. On the contrary, smoothies can be a great addition to your weight loss regime, which already contains a balanced diet, plenty of exercise, adequate sleep and of course practising stress management.
What Can I Put in My Smoothie to Lose Weight?
The base of your smoothie should be fruit. Add a cup or two of frozen fruit, based on how big of a smoothie you would be preparing. Some great fruits include mangoes, bananas, strawberries, pineapple and peaches. Vegetables can also be a great addition to your smoothie. You could add some kale or spinach into the mix to provide you with some beneficial nutrients and antioxidants.
Use plant-based milk, for it contains less fat. To get the healthy fat that your body needs, you can add about a 1/2 cup of plain low-fat yoghurt.
Now the tricky part to assembling the perfect smoothie for weight loss is the added sugar. You want to keep the added sugar to a minimum and avoid it if possible. Not adding any sweeteners will make the smoothie a lot healthier and beneficial when you are speaking of losing weight.
If you must, we recommend that you add a teaspoon of honey. Honey is considered a healthier option than sugar. Hence, when you are looking for a sweetener, opt for honey as opposed to sugar. Otherwise, you can consider low calorie or zero calorie sweeteners.
So long as you add plenty of fruits and vegetables into the smoothie and use good plant-based milk, you should have a weight loss-friendly smoothie on your hands. Just remember to keep an eye on any fat that you add such as yoghurt and avoid added sugars such as whipped cream and chocolate chips.
What to Not Include In a Smoothie When Trying to Lose Weight
When you are trying to lose weight, it is the added sugar you should be worried about when preparing a smoothie. You really want to keep the added sugar to a minimum and avoid it when possible. The more sugar you add and more artificial sweeteners you add to your smoothie, the less effective it would be with your weight loss ambitions.
Milk is high in protein. Whether you opt for the healthier non-dairy option or the dairy option, you should be fine. You need a liquid base for your smoothie and both non-dairy and dairy options work well in smoothies.
Should you avoid dairy-based milk. Not entirely. Dairy-based milk has its benefits. You don’t have to go out of your way to avoid dairy-based milk in hopes of losing weight. In fact, milk is so rich in protein, that it has been linked to weight loss and muscle building. It could work to improve your metabolism and increase the feeling of fullness after a meal.
Hence adding milk to the smoothie could in fact lead to less snacking after the meal. So long as you avoid the added sugar and unnecessary sweeteners, you should be fine.
Fat Burning Smoothies
Smoothies can help you burn fat. When you combine a high-quality protein with your smoothie, you make it a fat-burning machine. Simply mix your fruit with some vegetables, (berries and spinach) and then add some plant-based milk such as almond milk and a scoop of a plant-based flavoured (vanilla) protein powder.
Adding protein powder into your smoothie enables you to reap the benefits of high-quality protein, which helps build muscle and burn fat. It will jump-start your metabolism and you would find yourself burning more calories throughout the day.
Fat burning smoothies are best had in the morning. This way, it prepares you well for the whole day. It provides your body with what it needs in the morning. Might we mention, it is super easy to prepare.
A trick that you should remember when preparing fat burning smoothies is to add about 1/2 cup of brewed green tea. Green tea has various health benefits and can really help you lose weight. It works really well to burn fat, hence is a great addition to your smoothie.
Weight Loss Smoothies Without Protein Powder
You can easily prepare a weight loss smoothie without protein powder. Instead of the protein powder, you can add 1/2 cup of brewed green tea. Green tea works to burn fat, which will aid with weight loss.
You do not have to use protein powder in your smoothies. Though adding protein powder to your smoothie does make it healthier, you can replace the protein source through chia seeds, beans, lentils or even tofu.
You could use Soy Milk, which has a greater protein content than other plant-based milk and hemp hearts which has more protein than other seeds.
So long as you replace the protein content of your smoothie with a different source, you don’t have to include protein powder in your smoothie.
You can quite easily make a smoothie that is just as healthy without relying on protein powder.
Nighttime Smoothies for Weight Loss
Though smoothies during the day are considered healthy, drinking a smoothie before bed is not something that will help with weight loss.
Though you can find recipes for nighttime or bedtime smoothies that can help you lose weight, the sugar in smoothies could make it difficult for you to fall asleep.
Though the calorie content is low and you don’t overload your smoothie with fat, there isn’t anything wrong with having a smoothie at night. That being the case, if you are expecting to lose weight in your sleep and are looking to smoothies for that, you would have more to gain by sipping green tea a few hours before bed instead (too close to bed and it may make it difficult to fall asleep.)
By nighttime, if you are referring to replacing dinner with a smoothie, this can be an effective means to control the number of calories that you are intaking every day. Since smoothies are low in calories, they would help you with your overall weight loss ambition. However, drinking a smoothie right before bed is not recommended. It is good to leave a few hours between your last meal and bedtime.
Green Smoothies For Weight Loss
A green smoothie is made with fruit, a plant-based liquid and some leafy greens like spinach. They can be a great way to boost your immune system and energize you. They can also be rather effective when trying to lose weight.
Green smoothies usually have some form of vegetables in the smoothie, such as kale or spinach. Both kale and spinach have been praised for the various health benefits they bring. They are loaded with antioxidants.
With most smoothies made of just fruit and liquid, they could be loaded with sugar (though natural sugar) and could cause inflammation. A green smoothie on the other hand works to balance out the sugar, lower inflammation and aids the body by providing it with some necessary antioxidants, all of which work to keep you healthy.
Are green smoothies more effective when trying to lose weight? Yes. This is because they place a control on the natural sugars which the smoothies usually contain and provides added nutrients that you otherwise would not consume.
Green smoothies are a great way to get your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. If you have trouble getting enough fruit and vegetables throughout the day, a green smoothie could help you easily source the necessary nutrients in one simple drink.
Though green smoothies are most certainly nutritious, a diet containing only green smoothies is not something that is considered healthy. As mentioned prior, smoothies or green smoothies should be had in combination with a healthy balanced diet with plenty of exercise and sleep.
What Fruits Should I Blend to Lose Weight?
Fruits are great when you are trying to lose weight. When making a smoothie, you can combine the best fruits together, fruits which are considered most beneficial for weight loss. These include apricots, avocadoes, peaches, plums, apples, strawberries, guava and watermelon.
Some fruits are generally considered better for weight loss based on the amount of water they contain and the various nutrients within them.
Generally, fruits are low in calories and high in fibre, which is why smoothies are great when you are trying to lose weight.
If you are looking for a bit of an edge to include the best fruits to help you lose weight, we recommend you read our article on ‘What Are the Best Fruits For Weight Loss‘ and blend these fruits together to make your desired smoothie.
Once again, green tea can be a great way to burn some extra fat, hence, if you are looking to lose weight, add some green tea to your smoothie for better results.
Fruit Smoothies For Weight Loss: Recipes
When you are trying to lose weight, choosing specific ingredients could help you burn more fat. As mentioned repeatedly, smoothies can be a great addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle.
With so many ways to make a smoothie, we thought it would be helpful to provide you with our selection of the best smoothie recipes for weight loss. So here they are.
1. Beets and Berry
Berries are exceptionally nutritious and have been proven to have fat-burning properties. The beets provide for a great balance of sugars and give the smoothies a beautiful colour. This smoothie is sweet and is loaded with antioxidants. There is even a good amount of protein, which is why it is great for weight loss.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup plain low-fat yoghurt
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 cup mixed frozen berries
- 1 cup freshly cooked beets
- 3 to 5 ice cubes
2. Green Cream
A combination of leafy greens and some yummy fruit makes this smoothie one of the favourites amongst those who are trying to lose weight. The leafy greens provide a boost of antioxidants while the fruits provide sufficient fibre to make this drink one of the healthiest on the list.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup kale leaves
- 1-1/2 frozen pineapple chunks
- 1/2 ripe banana
- 1 apple
3. Banana Pumpkin
This smoothie is loaded with beta-carotene, calcium, fibre, magnesium and potassium. Using non-fat yoghurt, the drink has an excellent mix of both fibre and protein, which is great for weight loss.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yoghurt
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1-1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 to 5 ice cubes
4. Cinnamon Peanut Banana Smoothie
Great flavour and amazing benefits. The peanuts within this smoothie are loaded with plant-based protein, which makes it great when trying to lose weight. The cinnamon adds some great flavour, making this a great drink to reduce bloating and control appetite.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup vanilla soy or skim milk
- 1 large ripe banana
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 ice cubes
5. Pineapple and Spinach Smoothie
This is a great way to boost your green intake. The smoothie is a delicious mix of greens and fruits and uses water as the base for the smoothie. Though the smoothie doesn’t contain milk, it is delicious and can be a great low-calorie treat to aid weight loss.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 cups of pineapple chunks
- 1 medium avocado ripe
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
Are Smoothies Good For Losing Weight?
Smoothies are a great addition to your weight loss regime to help you shed those extra pounds. So long as you are careful not to overload your smoothies with added sugars, you should have in your hands a very healthy and nutritious meal.
Though smoothies are considered not as filling as solid food, they can still keep you quite full and satisfied until the next meal. They work great as meal replacements and should ideally be combined with a balanced diet and plenty of exercise for the best results.
Undoubtedly, there are so many ways you can go about making smoothies. The number of recipes that you could cook up is simply endless. You could add almost any fruit or vegetable to the smoothie and have a taste. There are various things that you can add to the smoothies to make them healthier such as green tea or protein powder.
Smoothies are a great addition to your balanced diet and should be something that you treat yourself to, once every day.
We aimed to provide you with an insightful article that would help you understand the best ways to go about adding smoothies into your weight loss plan. We hope that you found this article useful and that reading this word to word has helped you!
Happy Living!
