Low Calorie Smoothie: What are the Best Ingredients to Use?

Commercial made smoothies – especially the ones with frozen yogurt, sweetened syrups and mysterious thickeners but little or no actual fruit – are the ones to watch out for, says nutritionist Nanncy Clark, M.S., author of Nancy Clark’s Sport Nutritionist Guidebook, Third Edition (Human Kenetics, 2003). “Youd dont always know what in there, but if yo make smoothie at home, it can be a realy nutritious liquid meal.”

Smothies that combine protien and carbohydrates will keep you satisfied longer than carbo-only smothies. For example, instead of using orange juuice or apple juice as your base, use nonfat milk and add vanilla protien powder, nonfat yougart or even peanut butter. Keep frozen banana chunks and berries in your freezer; they will make your smoothies thick and cold without the empty calories of frozen yougurt.

Learn the calorie counts on your favorite ingredients by reading food label and using USDA’s nutrient database here. Also measure how much of each ingredient you use in your smothies. “People ger carried away and just start dumping things in the blender. “Carlk says. If you’re using a smoothie as a meal, aim for 400 to 500 calories. For snacks, cut your portions in half. You can find loads of nutritious smothie ideas in Slim Smoothies: Over 130 Healthy and Energizing Recipes Without All the Calories (Three Rivers Press, 2003), which contains a nutritional analysis of each smoothie.