This is a loaded question.  “Are smoothies healthy?” This is a question we get asked all the time in our office.  In theory, yes, smoothies should be healthy – they’re packed with fruits, maybe vegetables, perhaps some healthy fats, maybe yogurt, water or milk, maybe ice. “But then how do they go wrong?”  Let me explain…

My golden rule for smoothies includes this question – if you placed each of the items on a table in front of you, would you sit down and eat them all in one sitting?  If the answer is no, then your smoothie is likely going to be too calorically dense.  Have you ever ordered a smoothie at a juice bar only to see them add huge amounts of peanut butter, frozen yogurt and sugar sweetened frozen fruit? While smoothies might be touted as health foods, you really have to think twice, especially before ordering them off a menu.

It’s a lot easier (and faster!) to drink 500 calories than it is to eat 500 calories, but is it as satisfying?  Definitely not.  Chewing foods sends a particular message to your brain that drinking does not.  This is especially important for bariatric patients who need to watch their intake closely.

But the good news is, you can keep smoothies healthy by following a few easy rules:

1. Make it at home
   • as with many things, it’s easier to control what’s going into your body when you prepare the ingredients yourself
2. Start with 1/2 cup of a low calorie liquid base
   • water or unsweetened almond milk are our picks
3. Add 1/2 cup of a lean protein
   • plain fat free or low fat Greek yogurt
   • 1 or 2 scoops of protein powder (read the label to confirm serving size)
4. Pick no more than 1/2 cup of fruit
   • this could be 1/2 cup of berries or 1/4 cup berries and 1/4 of a banana
5. Make it green
   • adding 1/2 raw baby spinach only changes the color, not the flavor
6. Chill out
   • if you like things really cold, add a handful of ice
7. Get blending
   • whir the smoothie until it’s very well incorporated – especially if you’ve added spinach
8. Enjoy!

I really like green smoothies – they pack a bit of extra nutrition and really don’t taste much different (trust me!) than non-green smoothies.  But if that’s too much for you to start with, omit the spinach and just keep things simple.  If you stick to my suggestions above, your smoothie will be healthy, portion controlled and delicious!

We love hearing from you! What are you favorite smoothie recipes? Please share them with us in the comments below.

Happy nourishing!

Make it your rule of thumb: put things in our body only as nature intended. That means: no preservatives, no additives and ‘no’ to most packages drinks!

If knowing New York City has the some of the best drinking quality tap water in the world still doesn’t do it for you, we’ve got some other recommendations.

Whatever you do, come hell or high soda – do not go for the drinks high in calories. In fact, let’s take a look at our top 4 zero calorie drinks.

Iced tea

If you’ve got a passion for dashin’ keep an eye out for Honest Tea’s Passion Fruit Green Tea. The company is committed to bottling up great-tasting, healthy and organic beverages and this tasty number is made from organic tea leaves that are free from pesticides, brewed with stevia (a plant-based sweetener with zero calories) and infused with exotic passionfruit and tangy hibiscus. It’s also Fair Trade Certified, Gluten Free and free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Psst – they also have a zero-calorie lemonade too!

Sticking with the passion party, you can also as go for the Teavana® Shaken Iced Passion Tango™ Tea at Starbucks – also with zero calories.

Sparkling water

Fancy AND fun, sparkling water is the champagne of H2O. For some people, it pays to pop when you have an unwavering carbonated craving. For the true bare bones beverage… water wins!  (For our post-bariatric patients, go slow when it comes to carbonated beverages! Some people find that it causes discomfort, don’t drink carbonated drinks if it upsets your stomach!)

Keep an eye out for the Perrier, San Pellegrino and Poland Springs varieties.

Drink Hint

The creators of his new water product that has John Legend as an investor started out with a simple vision: just water, a hint of fruit flavour, nothing else. These drinks have no sugar, no diet sweeteners, no preservative, and no additives – none of that stuff you can’t pronounce. Take the Hint?

This can be your best solution if you’re on the go – even though our frugal friends may have other ideas… Just keep a pitcher of water in your fridge and squeeze your own fruit into it! Take “skinny” and “naked” drinks into your own hands.

Carbonated Beverages

Sodas, can be so-dangerous. Luckily these options boast a sugar-free zero-calorie resume.

Zevia uses stevia as its sweetener to bring you healthier alternatives to household flavors favorites such as Cola, Ginger Ale, Mountain Zevia and Dr. Zevia.  (Again, if the bubbles bother you, stay away!)

Polar Seltzer has been quenching America’s thirst for over 130 years and their rule of thumb is: water, bubbles, natural flavour – nothing else. This means calories, sodium, caffeine, sugar and carbs have been canned and taken out of your diet.

Sparkling Ice has 11 different flavors on offer made up of water, natural juices and Splenda whilst supplemented with vitamins and antioxidants. As we’ve said before though – read the fine print! These beverages do pack a punch when it comes to offering vitamin B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), vitamin D3, plus vitamin B12 in each bottle – but they also contain potassium benzoate (a preservative), coloring agents and Splenda is an artificial sweetener.