Article By: Maria Tucker, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES
Maria Tucker is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with over 20 years of experience assisting patients with diabetes, obesity, and nutrition-related conditions. Maria is also the Founder of MyBiyaya.com, a site dedicated to healthy recipes and kitchen shortcuts.
What better way to cool off than to sip a refreshing, tasty smoothie? Smoothies can be a healthy part of your diet, but you have to be careful about ingredients you use and the “add-ins” you mix into your smoothie. These add-ins can increase the calorie, carbohydrate, sugar, and fat content of your smoothies.
1) Smoothie ingredients. Ingredients for a smoothie can vary but usually contain a liquid, some fruit, and some vegetables.
- For the liquid, you can use water, fat-free dairy milk, or plant-based milk such as almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.
- For the fruit, try berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, or a combination of 2-3 types of berries.
- For the veggies, baby spinach, kale, mixed baby greens, cucumbers, and carrots will give your smoothie a flavorful punch. Frozen veggies are great since they are less expensive than fresh veggies and may retain more of their nutrients since they are flash frozen soon after harvest.
2) Add-ins. Smoothies frequently also contain a good fat source, a protein source, and a sweetener.
- Chia seeds and flax seeds are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Ground flax seed (sometimes called flax meal) is better to use as it is already broken down.
- Flavored protein powder will give your smoothie added protein plus sweetness. Using vanilla flavored protein powder will give you more flexibility with the flavor of your smoothie. Protein powder with at least 20 grams protein will keep you full longer and is more satisfying.
- Depending on the fruit you add to your smoothie, you may need to add a sweetener, preferably a non-sugar type. Stevia and monk fruit extract are great low calorie sweeteners you can use. You can also use agave nectar to give your smoothie a rich honey flavor, but be careful how much of it you add in. It does contain the same calories as honey, it just does not raise blood sugar like honey can.
If you are trying to lose weight or are concerned about your blood sugar, take heart! You can still enjoy smoothies with a few twists to the basic smoothie. Here is your basic tasty and healthy smoothie recipe to enjoy. Also check out the variations you can try to change up the flavor of your protein shakes and kick it up a notch!
3) High protein basic smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 small cucumber or carrot
- 1⁄2 cup diced celery
- 3⁄4 cup frozen berries
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- 1 cup fat-free milk
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- Add 1⁄2 cup ice cubes.
- Process ingredients until smooth.
Variations:
- Use mixed spring greens instead of baby spinach.
- Try adding 2 tablespoons low fat peanut butter.
- Switch the fruit to apples, pears, peaches, bananas, but limit to 1 serving.
- Try hemp or flax seeds in place of chia seeds.
- Increase the protein content of your smoothie by using fat-free protein milk, such as Fairlife milk or Silk Protein.
- Turn your protein shake into popsicles by placing them into popsicle molds.
Try these recipes for refreshing smoothies that are rich in protein, thirst quenching, and delicious! Just place all ingredients in your blender along with 1⁄2 cup of ice cubes and process until smooth.
4) Piña colada smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces fat-free coconut milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
- 1⁄2 tsp. coconut extract
5) Peanut butter & jelly smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces fat-free milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar-free strawberry or raspberry syrup
6) Pumpkin spice smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces fat-free milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
7) Peaches & cream smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces fat-free milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup frozen peaches
- 2 tablespoons sugar-free Cool Whip