Healthy happiness in bottles! Colorful, varied, and practical in everyday life: It is clear why smoothies are currently enjoying great popularity. In fact, mixed drinks made from fruits and vegetables are also real vitamin bombs! Many therefore believe that they are also perfectly slimmer. Nevertheless, a high energy content is available in smoothies, as they are often made with high-calorie fruits. Compared to solid foods that must be chewed, liquid meals are less filling.
The delicious vitamin suppliers can still support you on the way to a feel-good weight if you pay attention to a few things. So that you don’t fall into the calorie trap, your mixed drink should
- have more vegetables and less fruit (reduces calories)
- only be blended and not juiced (otherwise important fiber will be lost)
- only contain small amounts of high-calorie ingredients such as nuts, seeds, avocado, or oils
- Homemade or a selected product from the supermarket (check nutritional values and list of ingredients)
- low-calorie fruits such as berries, melon, apples, pears, and citrus fruits
Pros and cons of smoothies
Smoothies can be a nutrient-dense but low-calorie on-the-go alternative and can be used as a meal replacement to better control calorie intake. They also contain important soluble fiber, which has been shown to contribute to satiety. They’re also great for getting the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables and the recommended amount of fiber recorded. They are also a great way for families to use up leftovers and children love this “cool” vitamin supplement.
To ensure that the smoothies fill you up well despite the drink’s character, you should take your time when consuming them, because researchers have recently proven that the duration of consumption is more important than the chewing effort. Taken slowly, sip by sip, they can fill you up for just as long as solid meals! Even if the temptation is great in stressful everyday life: These are not drinks that should be consumed “just in between”.
Our conclusion: Overall, you should consider that neither an exclusive diet through smoothies, nor an additional consumption of “normal” food can guarantee a sustainable, effective, or healthy weight reduction. Because all in all, only the energy balance counts! Nevertheless, they represent an uncomplicated way to achieve the recommended “five a day” and try out great recipes of your creations.
Make smoothies yourself – three great recipes
Try our smoothie creations. Care was taken to replace higher-calorie fruits such as bananas or grapes with “lighter” types of fruits or vegetables. Good Karma smoothie – 100 g currants (red or black) – 200 g strawberries (frozen or fresh) – 200 g zucchini – 200 g buttermilk – liquid sweetener Total nutritional values: 133 kcal (551 KJ); 22.4 grams of carbohydrates; 5.9 g protein; 1.8 g fat Popeye’s Finest – 200 g raspberries (frozen or fresh) – 100 g blueberries (frozen or fresh) – 200 g courgette – 120 g spinach leaves, fresh – 2 tbsp honey (lower-calorie variants: sweetener or stevia).