Are Smoothies Healthy

No matter how healthy the food item is, eating too much of a good thing is never a good thing at all. Fruits and even vegetables can naturally be high in sugar.

Smoothies are notorious to have additives such as maple syrup, fruit juice, sweetened almond milk and more to appeal to taste buds.

The dark side of smoothies

Smoothies are not all bad, however, let’s evaluate when smoothies should take a back seat in a healthy diet.

Smoothies can load you up on sugar

A smoothie can easily have up to half a cup of sugar in one serving. Of course, you can make smoothies, free of those additives, but you might have to adjust your expectations on what delicious taste like.

Fruits and veggies need the rest of their teammates

Let’s say your smoothies only contained raw fruits and vegetables and perhaps nut milk with no sugar added, this is surely healthy right? Have you ever had a smoothie on an empty stomach and then right after you feel ravenous and even hungrier than you did before?

Smoothies pump fruit and vegetables at a rapid pace into your bloodstream and there aren’t enough proteins and fat to balance it out. Your blood sugar spikes, you get a boost of energy and your body then tries to hold on to whatever sugar it doesn’t use by creating fat.

This is worse when you have a smoothie alone for breakfast. Breakfast happens following several hours of fasting and your first meal should include protein and fat as well, so your body doesn’t go into panic mode.

Fibers need to be fibrous to work well

Smoothies also cram a lot of fiber in your body at a fast pace. Fiber is used by your body when turning sugar into blood sugar. The bulk in fiber is important to serve as a catch for the sugar, preventing it from moving into the bloodstream.

Your teeth do a good job of breaking down the fiber in foods for our body to use, but a blender blends this fiber to bits and this process of using fiber to slow down sugar absorption isn’t as efficient.

The bright side of smoothies

Smoothies are great, I drink them and I love them. Smoothies that are had on an empty stomach should include some healthy fats such as avocado or greek yogurt. Proteins such as peanut butter should also be added. A small smoothie with wholesome and balanced ingredients can provide you with a nutrient powerhouse.

Smoothies are better than eating no fruits and veggies

It is important to eat real and low processed foods. Smoothies can help to bridge that gap when access to whole foods is unavailable or limited. However, smoothies are best seen as a treat or meal enhancement instead of a meal replacement. They can complement a well-balanced diet and they taste really good too.

Check out our choconana, bluecoco or raspcoco recipes.

Finally…

Stay away from smoothies that contain added sugar or try to make your own if that’s possible. If you decide to make smoothies at home, then you will need a good blender like this one. If you have a dietary restriction where you are unable to eat solid foods, then blending your fruits and vegetables is the next best thing because doing that is still a whole lot better than not eating any fiber at all.

I also caution others in participating in a smoothie cleanse. I have done a smoothie cleanse myself and I have reported my experience here.