I've been eating a lot of smoothies lately.
Mostly because they are so good. I've been hesitant to make them up until last week because it's so cold out but then I just caved. I knew that I needed more greens in my diet and smoothies are such a easy peasy way of getting the nutrients you normal don't eat into your belly.
Smoothie are an easy way to get those nutrients in...but if you aren't strategic about your smoothie ingredients, then the calories could add up BIG time and work AGAINST your weight loss efforts.
3 Tweaks to Make Your Smoothie Healthy
1. Don't 'eye' the juice.
Sure it's just a 'splash' as they say, but after a few more splashes, you've quadrupeled the calories AND the carb grams. This isn't a huge problem if you just exercised, but if you are just trying to feel healthy after eating more girl scout cookies than you want to admit, MEASURE your juice.
2. Don't skip the healthy fat.
You think you're healthy by putting spinach and his friend Kale into your smoothies...until just now. Unless you have a healthy fat, your body is not digesting an absorbing all the spinach and kale. Healthy fat molecules carry the nutrients into your cells. When your meals and smoothies don't include healthy fats, you miss out on getting the full bang for your buck on the veggies you are eating.
3. TIMING of the smooth
Smoothies are a fantastic breakfast or a snack. I don't typically use them as a meal replacement unless I know they are packed with a protein, veggie, fruit, and a healthy fat. AND I also have to have snacks ready. Liquid meals digest super fast so it shouldn't be a surprise that you are hungry again in 90min - 2hours.
If you're looking for something to eat after a workout because you don't plan on eating a meal for at least 1-2 hours...consider a smoothie. And since you just exercised, you can add a little more fruit (2 handfuls) and maybe even a little more healthy fat.
Today I put spinach, pineapple juice, plain greek yogurt, hemp seeds, and flax seeds in mine. Notice the extra healthy fat? And I put extra pineapple juice since I did a longer run just before I blended it up.