9 Best Smoothie Ingredients for Weight Loss
Is weight loss your ultimate goal by the turn of summer or at the end of the year? We know the journey to reaching your ideal weight goal is a difficult one. At some point, you’d want a bit of variety in your well-planned meals.
Well, if you’re ever in need of a pre-workout pick-me-up, smoothies are a great option. Smoothies can also add an exciting twist to your avocado chickpea tuna salad, for example. There’s more to making 5smoothies than throwing healthy ingredients together in a blender.
Below, we compiled a list of the healthiest smoothie ingredients to help you start. Blending weight loss smoothies is an art, much like sculpting your body.
1. Dark, Green, and Leafy Ingredients
Are you planning to make a Green Sunrise Smoothie? Don’t forget your spinach. Dark and leafy vegetables are some of the best smoothie ingredients if you’re looking to lose weight.
There’s a reason why spinach and kale are smoothie staples. They’re low in sugars and calories and are instead high in iron and protein. They also provide a big helping of fiber, folate, and phytonutrients.
If you want to mix it up, try beetroots and celery with leaves instead. Add in any other dark, leafy greens you want.
2. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is yet another staple for healthy smoothies. Compared to regular yogurt, plain Greek yogurt has less sugar, more protein, and probiotic cultures. It also has lower lactose content, which is great if you’re lactose-intolerant.
Since it’s thicker and creamier, you want to use a high-viscosity blender for this ingredient. Do you want to know more about high-viscosity mixing? Check here to learn more about high viscosity mixers.
3. Berries
Most fruits might be too heavy for making weight loss smoothies with. Berries, however, have the right weight and health benefits for smoothies. They’re rich in antioxidants and fiber.
Do you want to replace plain ice and sugar in your smoothies? Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or plastic wrap and line your berries up. Place it in the freezer for a few hours or overnight.
Afterward, store them in resealable plastic bags. If you’re using strawberries, don’t forget to remove the green bits on top. The frozen texture of berries adds not only a satisfying chill to your smoothie but also a tart flavor.
4. Cruciferous Vegetables
How is your relationship with consuming vegetables? Are you fine with eating them or are you picky with what you eat? This is your chance to up your intake of foods you’d otherwise avoid eating.
If you’re skittish around vegetables, healthy smoothies are a great means to up your consumption of them. Don’t forget to add cruciferous to your list of to-try smoothie ingredients. They help lower your risk of cancers and are rich with nutrients.
5. Spirulina
If you want to give your usual smoothie a healthy boost, try adding this superfood into the blender. If you haven’t heard of it, spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that people take as a supplement or as whole food.
It’s so rich in nutritional essentials that a daily dose of 4.5 grams of spirulina can reduce blood pressure. Seven grams of dried spirulina contains 4.02 grams of protein, 14 mg of magnesium, and 95 mg of potassium. It also contains riboflavin, vitamins B-6, A, and K.
Make your spirulina protein smoothie with only 1 tsp of the dried powder. Add in half cups of coconut water and almond milk, and one banana. If you wish, add a scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder to the mix.
Blend all the ingredients and enjoy this new protein smoothie formula.
6. Nuts and Nut Butters
When we say healthy, weight loss smoothies, what ingredients come to your mind first? Vegetables and fruits might be your top choices. However, Veggies aren’t enough to make a healthy smoothie for weight loss.
You need protein to complete the smoothie. Peanut butter, almond butter and other types of nut butter are great sources of protein. Plus, they are also great sources of heart-healthy fat which is a good kind of fat.
7. Milk and Milk Alternatives
No weight-loss smoothie is complete without milk or milk alternative. Like Greek yogurt, it’s your protein source. This ingredient is especially important if you plan to use it as a meal replacement.
Nonfat milk is the ideal ingredient. However, other great alternatives include soy milk, almond milk, and rice milk. You can also use coconut milk, flax milk, and hemp milk.
8. Seeds
If you look up recipes for smoothies for weight loss, you may notice that Chia seeds are a common ingredient. There are a few reasons why these tiny little things are vital smoothie ingredients. One, they provide protein other ingredients can’t.
Two, these seeds contain fiber which helps with bowel regularity. Flaxseed holds a great deal of these benefits. The ideal daily dose of flaxseed is up to 2 tablespoons only.
9. Sweet Smoothie Ingredients
Do you have a sweet tooth? Is it difficult for you to drink a smoothie without a helping of sugar added to it? Well, say goodbye to sugars because bananas are what you need.
Bananas are a natural sweetener. They also have high potassium content. That means they’re great for helping your muscles and heart contractions.
Bananas can go with any healthy smoothie that needs a dash of sweetness. Try adding a frozen banana to a berry smoothie to help boost metabolism and reduce bloating. If you’re making a spirulina smoothie, add a banana to give it some flavor.
Drink Healthy, Live Healthy
Are smoothies a good way to lose weight? If what you’re looking for is something healthy to drink, they are. However, they’re not something to replace actual, edible foods with.
Remember, you will get more satisfaction with whole foods than with a liquid diet. If you want to lose weight, start changing what you eat and how much. Drink smoothies to complement your meal or to get through a hot day in a healthy way.
We hope you enjoyed this guide on which smoothie ingredients to blend for your weight loss goals. If you want to see more helpful guides for your health, check out our other posts today.