Smoothies are growing in popularity, mainly because a few celebrities have claimed to lose vast amounts of weight on a 'smoothie only' diet! Well for a start, that's incredulous, you don't sustainably lose weight, nor do you maintain gastrointestinal health AND get the protein and macronutrients you need from fruit based goodness alone. Yes, you will enter a calorie deficit and lose some weight, but reintroduce regular food again (and you definitely will) and you'll probably notice you store more fat than before. Granted this is subjective and depends on the individual, plus if you go back to eating normal food and manage to keep it healthy, balanced and calorie controlled (which is all that was needed in the first place) then you stand a good chance of keeping a lot of the weight lost, off.
The problem with these smoothie diets is that lots of people now perceive smoothies as part of a 'fad' diet or a route to weight loss, when in actual fact a smoothie can also be used to encourage total weight gain or solid, lean muscle mass... you've just got to do it the right whey (see what I did there)!
What you need
- Measuring jug (ml)
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Teaspoon
- Blender (handheld or free- standing)
Breakfast Smoothie
Maybe you don't fancy hot food in the morning, perhaps you don't feel all that hungry first thing, or it's possible that you already eat a solid breakfast that includes some scrambled eggs on a wholegrain bagel (for example). Whatever your goal is you may want to consider this nutritionally dense breakfast shake for a quick and easy breakfast, or an addition to your regular breakfast.
The beauty of a smoothie is that you can get a LOT of nutrition in a relatively small quantity of liquid (maybe 200-250ml), which is an ideal way to up your nutrition, calories and protein!
Ingredients
- 30g porridge oats (an Oats so Simple sachet is the perfect amount)
- 200ml full fat cow’s milk
- 1 scoop PhD Nutrition Pharma Whey HT+
- 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
- 1 banana
Nutritional Information
Energy = 350kcal
Protein = 14g (or 35g protein if whey protein powder added instead)
Carbs = 55g
Chocolate and Avocado
The chocolate and avocado blend makes this smoothie ideal for in the morning when protein, essential fats and vitamins are a must!
The avocado is particularly important for the essential monounsaturated fats it adds to this shake. You can’t taste the avocado, so if you’re serious about your heart health, joints and your speed of mind, then you’ll make sure you include the avocado!
The cacao powder is naturally high in flavonoids which are antioxidants that can help overall health!
Ingredients
- ½ an avocado
- 1 ½ teaspoons cacao powder
- 300ml almond or coconut milk, or full fat cow’s milk
- 1 scoop Optimum Health Ultimate Whey
- 1 teaspoon of honey (optional)
- Grated dark chocolate (optional)
Nutritional Information
Energy = 300kcal
Protein = 14g (or 35g protein if whey protein powder added instead)
Carbs = 25g
Strawberry & Banana Surprise
This smoothie has coconut oil added for intense flavour and for the Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), specifically Lauric acid, it delivers. MCT's are important for heart health, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, fighting infection, improved digestion AND for burning fat!
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 175g strawberries
- 15g cashew nuts
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 115ml full fat milk or almond milk
- 1 scoop Whey Protein
Nutritional Information
Energy = 350kcal
Protein = 15g (or 35g protein if whey protein powder added instead)
Carbs = 40g
Supergreen Smoothie
An essential vitamin and mineral powerhouse!
Ingredients
- Half avocado
- 50g fresh spinach leaves
- 1 kiwi fruit
- 10g coconut oil
- 15g quinoa flakes (or porridge oats)
- 100ml Orange Juice
- 1 lemon squeezed
Nutritional Information
Energy = 350kcal
Protein = 10g
Carbs = 50-60g
The high citrus content and kiwi fruit, which is a vitamin C powerhouse, delivers a plethora of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. You're also getting ample protein and fibre via the quinoa flakes, but feel free to use porridge oats as an alternative if you can’t source quinoa flakes.
Enjoy this smoothie first thing in the morning to dampen those stress hormones, or as an accompaniment to a main meal so that the vitamins and minerals support the absorption of the nutrients from your meal.
i need to start putting oats in my smoothies! i've bookmarked this post, thanks :-)