How to Make Diet Smoothies

Choosing Ingredients

Start with a low-calorie, low-fat liquid base. Some good choices include fat-free or low-fat dairy milk, soy milk, cool herbal tea, almond milk, juice, or water. Make sure that you consider the fat and calories when choosing liquid bases for diet smoothies because this can have a dramatic effect on the overall fat and calories of your smoothie. For example, a smoothie made with juice will have up to 200 calories more than a smoothie made with water. The ratio of the liquid base to the fruits and vegetables should be about two to ¾. That means that for every two cups of liquid base you should add about ¾ of a cup of fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients. Pour your liquid ingredients into the blender first.

Add fruits and vegetables. You can add whatever fruits and vegetables you would like to use. Fresh fruits and vegetables may taste better and have more nutritional value, but frozen fruits and vegetables work well also. Make sure that you look up the fat and calories before you decide. For example, a banana has more calories than an orange or a carrot, and an avocado has more fat than a cup of spinach. Some good low-calorie fruit choices include peaches, strawberries, oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, and papaya. Low-calorie vegetable choices include celery, cucumbers, carrots, kale, and spinach. Keep in mind that fresh and frozen fruits and veggies will thicken a smoothie, but frozen fruits and vegetables will also make your smoothie cold. Toss in a handful of ice cubes if using fresh fruit. If you have a high powered blender, then fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables should be easy to blend. If your blender is not too powerful, then you may want to defrost your fruit or even cook the vegetables first to soften them up a bit. Rinse off fruits and veggies before adding them to the blender to ensure that they are free of dirt and debris.

Include some nuts or seeds. Nuts and seeds can be a good addition for adding healthy fats and protein to a smoothie. Just keep in mind that these ingredients will also increase the calories and fat in your smoothie. Some good nuts and seeds to try in a smoothie include: almonds cashews sunflower seeds chia seeds flaxseeds

Try some spices. You can also change the flavor of your smoothie without any added fat or calories by adding a dash of spice. Consider what spices will work best with your other smoothie ingredients. For example, if you are making an apple smoothie, then a dash of cinnamon would be a nice complement. Some good spices to consider when making smoothies include: cinnamon ginger nutmeg cloves chili powder cayenne pepper cardamom

Add a scoop of protein powder. Adults only need about 48-56 grams of protein per day, so adding protein to your diet smoothie may not be necessary if you get enough protein from other sources. But if you are replacing a meal with a smoothie each day, then adding protein may be a good idea. If you want a diet smoothie that is packed with protein, then add a scoop of protein before you blend. To keep the fat and calories low, choose a protein powder without added sugars and that is low in fat. Read labels to find a protein powder that is low in fat and calories.

Blend all of the ingredients. After you have all of your ingredients in the blender, place the lid on the blender and blend the ingredients on high for about one to two minutes. You can blend for longer if needed. If ingredients seem to be getting stuck in the bottom of the blender or on the sides, then turn off the blender, wait for the blades to stop completely, and then use a spoon to stir the ingredients. Then, remove the spoon, replace the lid, and blend on high again. If the contents of your smoothie seem too thick, then you can add a little more water or other liquid. If the contents seem too thin, then try adding a bit of ice or a couple more pieces of fruit. When the ingredients have all been liquefied, then transfer your smoothie to a glass and serve!

Trying Diet Smoothie Recipes

Make a tropical mango smoothie. If you are in the mood for something fruity and sweet, then a tropical mango smoothie may be a good choice. To make this smoothie, you will need to blend together: 1 cup Orange juice 1 cup mango juice ½ cup cubed or sliced mango ¼ cup low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt ½ of a mashed avocado a splash of lime or lemon juice a bit of honey or stevia to taste

Blend up a blueberry smoothie. If you like blueberries, then you may enjoy a blueberry smoothie. To make this smoothie, blend: 1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk 1 cup blueberries 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil or ground flaxseeds a bit of honey or stevia to taste

Create a banana nut butter smoothie. For those who enjoy the combination of bananas and peanut butter, a banana nut butter smoothie may be just right. Try blending: ½ cup fat-free or low-fat milk or ½ cup of a nut milk if you prefer a nuttier taste ½ cup plain yogurt 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter or cashew butter ¼ to ½ ripe banana a bit of honey or stevia to taste

Try a spinach melon smoothie. To get the nutrition of spinach along with a pleasant sweet flavor, try a spinach melon smoothie. Blend together: 1 cup raw spinach leaves 1 ½ cup chopped honeydew melon ¼ cup yogurt 1 tablespoon nuts a bit of honey or stevia to taste

Whip up a ginger green smoothie for two. To make a gingery tasting green smoothie for you and a friend, try blending these ingredients: 1 ½ cup water 1 cup raw spinach leaves ½ cup romaine 2 oranges (navel) 2 bananas 1 inch piece of peeled ginger 1 cucumber a bit of honey or stevia to taste

Make a spring tonic smoothie. For something refreshing and light, a spring tonic smoothie may be a nice choice. You will need to blend: 1 cup green tea 1 cup cilantro 1 cup raw chopped kale 1 sliced cucumber 1 cup pineapple chunks 1 inch piece of peeled ginger ½ avocado a bit of honey or stevia to taste

Try a coconut green smoothie. Coconut and kale are packed with nutrition, so try making a coconut green smoothie. Blend together: 1 cup coconut water ⅓ cup coconut milk ½ cup raw chopped kale 1 stalk celery 1 pear (cored, with the peel still on) 1 tablespoon fresh parsley a bit of honey or stevia to taste

Using Smoothies

Replace a meal with a smoothie. Smoothies can provide all the nutrition of a meal with fewer calories and less fat. They are also easy to make, so you may want to start drinking a smoothie in place of one meal per day to help you lose weight. For example, you could start your day with a smoothie, have a smoothie for lunch, or enjoy a smoothie for dinner. Smoothies can help to ensure that you get more fruits and veggies in your diet, so consider replacing a meal with a smoothie if you don’t get enough fruit and veg already.

Try drinking a smoothie after a workout. Smoothies can make it easy to get the calories and nutrients you need to recover after a hard workout. Try drinking a smoothie about 30 minutes after an intense workout along with plenty of water. If you are trying to build muscle, then you may also want to add a scoop of protein powder to your smoothie.

Drink a smoothie for a healthy snack. Low-calorie, low-fat smoothies can help you cope with hunger between meals and increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables in the process. Try making yourself a snack smoothie between meals.

Calculate the nutritional information of smoothies. To figure out how many calories and grams of fat are in a smoothie, check the label or look up the ingredient online and add them all together. You can tally these numbers manually or use an online recipe calculator to figure out how many calories are in your smoothies. For example, a smoothie made with 1 cup of water (0 calories), 1 cup of peaches (60 calories), 1 cup of spinach (7 calories), ½ an avocado (161 calories), and 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal (30 calories) would contain 258 calories.

Make smoothies part of a balanced diet. Although smoothies can have all of the nutrition of a meal, smoothies should not take the place of all of your meals. Smoothies will not keep you as full as long as eating solid food does. Make smoothies part of a balanced diet instead.