8 Essential Smoothie Diet Tips

The smoothie diet is just as simple as it sounds: a diet plan that consists of drinking smoothies to help you lose weight, add lean muscle, and feel better about yourself.

In this article, we’ll give you some tips to make smoothies an essential part of your daily diet plan along with some of our favorite healthy smoothie recipe ideas.

It’s important to understand that not all smoothies are created equal. In fact, some are downright terrible for you.

Here are some examples:

• The 32-ounce PB&J Smoothie at Planet Smoothie has 990 calories, 38 grams of fat, 530 milligrams of sodium, and 92 grams of sugar (about three days’ worth).
• The Peanut Butter Moo’d Smoothie at Jamba Juice has 770 calories and 72 grams of sugar.
• Coldstone Creamery’s Mango Strawberry Smoothie has 520 calories and 85 grams of sugar.

With that in mind, let’s first look at some smoothie diet tips to help you enjoy the health benefits of these delicious drinks without all the added sugar and calories.

8 Essential Smoothie Diet Tips

#1 Make your own

Most smoothies you find in restaurants have added sugar and artificial, processed ingredients. If you find yourself at a smoothie or juice bar, make sure they use nothing but real fruits, vegetables, and other unprocessed ingredients.

#2 Toss in a handful of greens

Making a green smoothie is one of the best ways to get a couple extra servings of healthy vegetables each day—and you can’t even taste them. Add a couple cups of leafy greens like spinach, kale, collard greens, beet greens, or Swiss chard to your smoothie for a healthy boost.

#3 Drink a smoothie for breakfast

It’s a great way to start your day with a healthy, low calorie breakfast. Here’s one idea: mix a banana, some frozen strawberries, a handful of spinach or kale and some cold water.

#4 Sip on a smoothie during your workout

Two of the best times to drink a smoothie are during and immediately following a workout. Why? Because your body depletes carbohydrates when you work out and smoothies will help restore those depleted electrolytes.

#5 Add some “superfood” ingredients to your smoothie

Raw cacao powder, flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp protein, and pea protein are little-known but incredibly healthy additions to a smoothie.

#6 Add other healthy veggies besides green leafy vegetables

Try experimenting with cucumbers, avocado, zucchini, carrots and other mild veggies.

#7 Use water, almond milk, or coconut milk instead of regular milk

Water is the best option because it’s calorie-free but when you want a creamy boost a little almond milk or coconut milk goes a long way—especially for those who experience digestive issues from dairy products.

#8 Buy several bags of frozen fruits each week

One of the best ways to enjoy smoothies every day without taking a ton of time out of your day is to buy frozen fruit. Stock up on frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, cherries, pineapple, and mango. Then experiment with different combinations each day.

Here are some of our favorite healthy smoothie recipes to get you started.

10 Simple Smoothie Recipes You Can Make in 10 Minutes or Less

1. Green Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized banana
• 1 handful of ice
• 1 handful of spinach
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

2. Super Seed Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of frozen strawberries
• 1 handful of ice
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 T flax seeds
• 1 T pumpkin seeds
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

3. Dark Cacao Mint Power Smoothie

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup raw cacao powder (This is important. Buy “raw cacao” and not “cocoa”—it’s much higher in antioxidants)
• 2 T fresh mint
• 1 handful of ice
• 1 T raw honey
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

4. Mango Pineapple Smoothie 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen mango
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

5. Green Machine Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 kiwis
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup kale
• 1 T honey
• 1 handful of ice
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

6. Red Energy Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized banana
• 1 cup beet greens
• ¼ cup raw beets
• ½ cup frozen berries
• 1 handful of ice
• 1 handful of spinach
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

7. Blueberry Grape Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• ½ cup grapes
• 1 handful of ice
• 1 handful of spinach
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

8. Peanut Butter Banana Blast Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized banana
• 2 T peanut butter
• 1 handful of ice
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

9. Protein Power Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup protein powder (whey, rice, hemp, or pea)
• 1 T almond butter
• 1 handful of ice
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond or coconut milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

10. Orange Apple Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot
• 1 apple
• 1 handful of ice
• 2 cups milk, water, or almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

Wrap-up

At the end of the day, your success or failure on a smoothie diet will depend on the other food choices you make. The smoothie diet does not mean all you drink is smoothies. It simply means you supplement or replace one or two meals a day with smoothies.

Eating a balanced diet of real, whole foods along with your smoothies (whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean meats and dairy, and plenty of fruits and vegetables) will net you results much faster and is the best choice for your long-term health.

Sources

• Planet Smoothie
• Jamba Juice
• Annual Review of Public Health: Can We Say What Diet Is Best for Health?