This story has been updated since it was originally published on 07/30/2021
On the whole, smoothies and shakes are great additions to your everyday diet to increase the nutrients you’re consuming, boost satiety, and even improve your metabolism over time, making it easier to lose weight. Often loaded with fruit, protein, and a variety of vitamins and minerals, smoothies can act as a wonderful meal replacement or snack to further you towards a healthier lifestyle and give you more energy to function throughout the day.
However, it’s possible that the ingredients you’re including in your smoothies may not always be beneficial for your health, and while you may have the best intentions throwing everything into the blender each morning, you may ultimately be making it more difficult for yourself to lose weight.
To discover one of the surprising smoothie mistakes you may be making, we checked in with registered dietitians Trista Best and Tara Tomaino. They say the next time you’re blending up a smoothie, there’s one thing you should keep in mind to ensure you’re making a positive impact on your metabolism and weight loss goals: don’t go overboard on the fruit, and incorporate other vital food groups.
Be Careful How Much Fruit And Fruit Juice You Add
Although fruit is one of the primary ingredients included in most smoothies and can offer a variety of vitamins and minerals, it’s important to be aware of the serving sizes when throwing together your shake. Fruit is vital for healthy weight loss, but it is also packed with sugar which, when consumed in large quantities, can make it more difficult to lose fat and may even impact your metabolism. “Fruit provides us with incredible nutrients and phytonutrients to aid in just about any health goal imaginable, however, too much could lead to weight gain,” Best warns.
It can be easy to assume that since fruits and vegetables are healthy that you can eat them in excess without any negative impact on your body, and while you can certainly eat more of them than most processed foods, it’s still important to be aware of serving sizes--particularly if you’re attempting to lose weight. “Adding more than 2 servings of fruit to your smoothie will increase the amount of sugar and calories you are taking in. While these are not empty calories in the sense that they are providing you with nutrients, it is still important for weight loss that we avoid excess calories to some degree,” explains Best.
As for determining the proper serving size of fruit to add to your smoothie, there’s a simple rule of thumb to keep in mind for measuring. “A serving of fruit is about the size of a baseball or a half a cup. If you are making your smoothie with some form of fruit juice it is important to count a half a cup of juice as a serving of fruit as well,” warns Best. However, when it comes to fruit juice, most of the natural fiber has been stripped from the original form, making it of significantly less benefit to your diet because juice consists primarily of empty calories and sugar. You will ultimately be better served using a plant-based dairy substitute or water as your liquid for smoothies in order to keep calories to a minimum while still nourishing your body.
Tomaino agrees that while "fruit is a very nutrient-dense food choice and should be eaten daily as part of a balanced yet," eating too much can become an issue if you're monitoring your carb intake or if it's "taking the place of other nutritious foods that the body needs."
She points out that if you're eating too much fruit, you're likely missing out on other vital pillars of nutrition, like vegetables, proteins, and whole grains. "This can lead to inadequate intake of protein, fat, and potential nutrient deficiencies," she warns. For this reason, it's a good idea to work some other ingredients into your smoothies!
Add Vegetables, Protein, And Healthy Fats
When it comes to mixing things up with various ingredients, Tomaino says vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats should be considered if you're looking to lose weight. Incorporating all of these into your smoothie will allow you to stay fuller longer. Tomaino lists spinach, kale, carrots, and cucumbers as some of her favorite vegetables to blend into a smoothie. As for protein, plain Greek yogurt, milk, and protein powder make great additions. Healthy fats that work well in a smoothie include avocado, chia seeds, and nut butter. "Be sure to measure your portions of these extra ingredients as they can be high in calories," she notes. "When it comes to weight loss, managing calories is key!" Got it!
Fruit is obviously still a healthy addition to your diet and should be included in your smoothies for a burst of flavor, vitamins, and minerals. However, as with every other food, moderation is key in achieving a balanced eating plan that will contribute to your goals. So long as you’re aware of portion size and are staying within a calorie deficit, smoothies can continue to be a staple in your diet for weight loss, but keep in mind that too much of a good thing can also ultimately have a negative impact on your well being. This is not to say that fruit is unhealthy by any means, but don’t get carried away as you create your smoothie each morning, particularly as you work to lose weight.
