Smoothies are super delicious, and they are a quick and easy way for you to get plenty of nutrition and energy fast and effectively. They make for a brilliant breakfast, a workout snack, or just as a midday boost.
Prepping smoothies is super easy too, but balancing your smoothie may be a bit tricky for some.
This is why we are here though, we are here to help you ensure that you can make a balanced smoothie with ease. So, let’s take a look at how you can do this!
Making A Balanced Smoothie
So, how to make a balanced smoothie?
Nothing quite beats a super nutritious smoothie, balanced out with a combination of proteins, healthy fats, and fiber-heavy carbs.
We also want to spend some time talking about how using particular ingredients can help, and how superfoods can boost you and your health overall.
Superfoods are awesome and can boost your intake of minerals, vitamins, and even trace elements. They can boost your overall well-being, so knowing how to mix them in is key!
We would compare making a healthy balanced smoothie to being like making a healthy meal.
That means that when you make a smoothie with the correct combo of fats, proteins, and carbs, it gives you the minerals and nutrients your body needs. So, this could be considered a super tasty healthy snack, or even a meal replacement!
You should have a mixture of a few things in every smoothie you make. These things are:
- A liquid base.
- Fiber-rich carbs (fruit, veg, and low GI carb boosters)
- Protein.
- Healthy fats.
- Health boosters.
Let’s take a look at each of these individually.
The Liquid Base
The first thing that you need to think about when you make a smoothie is what the liquid base will be. Different ingredients will influence the consistency and the texture.
You have so many things to choose from, including:
- Water.
- Brewed Tea.
- Coconut Water.
- Cow’s Milk.
- Plant-Based Milk.
- Fruit Juices (Although not recommended due to how high in sugar they are).
Water is the healthiest of all, it has 0 calories and hydrates you. Water will not influence the taste of your smoothie.
Meanwhile, tea can be good, especially green tea, as it does not contain many calories. Most green teas will have detoxifying properties and some will even have anti-inflammatories or anti-oxidants.
That being said, plant-based milk is typically the most popular choice, we recommend oat milk as it has a sweetness to it naturally, and it adds a hefty dose of fiber for those who are lacking fiber in their diets.
High Fiber Carbs
Speaking of high fiber… Once you have chosen your liquid base, you need to figure out what will make up the bulk of your smoothie. This means carbs!
Balanced smoothies should have a selection of good-quality carbs that make you feel full and satiated for longer. This will prevent you from snacking during the day.
You can include whole vegetables and fruits and even whole grains, as these contain simple carbs too, as well as complex carbs.
Simple carbs are sugars, whereas complex carbs are fibers and starches.
Fruits are higher in simple carbs, whereas grains have more complex carbs.
The biggest mistake most of us make is that we make smoothies that only contain fruit. When we do this it leads to a smoothie that is hefty in sugar, which can overtake the whole meal, and it is not healthy either.
Proteins
You should also consider adding some protein sources to your smoothies, this can be a massive game changer in balancing smoothies. Protein will also support your metabolism and immune system while helping you to maintain your muscles!
Choosing healthy proteins is very important, you want to select products such as nuts, seeds, and yogurt. But do not forget that you can also add protein powder to smoothies as well.
The amount of protein you should be including does depend on your weight, but you should be aiming towards getting 15 grams of protein. If you engage in intense physical activity regularly, then you may have to consider up to 30 grams of protein per meal, however.
Here are some examples of what you could include for protein:
- Yogurt.
- Cottage Cheese.
- Tofu.
- Protein Powder.
- Nuts And Seeds.
Healthy Fats
A lot of people will actively skip fats in their smoothies, believing that it will get them a healthier snack.
However, you should be aware that fats can be great for you, as long as you only consume them in moderation.
Fats are able to give our bodies essential vitamins, helping in our energy reserves and sustaining our metabolism.
Yet, when it comes to picking which fats you should include in your smoothies, always favor those which are low in saturated fats, such as nuts, seeds, or avocado.
In a well-balanced smoothie, fats should make up around 10 grams in each serving.
Health Boosters
The above nutrients are key to balancing your smoothie, however, you can take it one step further. balancing your
Once your smoothie is already balanced with the above ingredients, you can go even more hardcore. Now you can think about adding health boosters. These boosters are ingredients that are highly effective in promoting health and well-being.
These should only be present for 1 to 2 teaspoons for every serving, although, you can add as many superfoods as you feel like.
Some health boosters include examples such as:
- Cinnamon.
- Cacao Powder.
- Vanilla.
- Matcha.
- Baobab Powder.
- Ginger.
- Turmeric.
- Acai Berries.
- Bee Pollen.
- Fish Oil.
- Spirulina.
- Goji Berries.
Something Sweet
You can add some sweetness. Most of the time though, the sugar will already be balanced out in a smoothie, mostly due to the extensive sugar content in fruit.
This means that a majority of smoothies which are primarily fruit do not need an addition of something sweet. However, you can add something extra to satisfy your sugar cravings.
Of course, if you love sweetness, then you can use extra ripe fruit to get more sweetness and sugar, however, you can also use other things which will also act as natural sweeteners.
These can include the following options:
- Agave Nectar.
- Dates.
- Maple Syrup.
- Raw Honey.
- Stevia.
- Xylitol.
Stevia is one of our favorites as it has no calories or sweeteners but it still provides you with sweetness. Agave is also great as it has a low GI and only half of the sugars you would get from white confectionary sugar.
Raw honey has a lot of natural sugar in it, but, unlike other sugar, it also has a lot of natural vitamins and minerals. Xylitol does not spike insulin or blood sugars either, so it can be really good for those who may suffer from insulin-based health conditions, but still want to experience that delicious sweet taste.
Do make sure that even if you put a natural sweetener into your smoothies that you do not overdo it. Remember, it is a smoothie, not a milkshake or sundae.
Our Perfectly Balanced Smoothie Recipe
Before you put what you have learned today to the test, we want to share our perfectly balanced smoothie recipe with you.
It’s a pineapple smoothie for weight loss, that will be a good one for you to start practicing balancing your smoothie.
Pineapple Smoothie For Weight Loss
Equipment
- 1 Blender We used this one
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup/75g fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup/75g of frozen bananas
- 200 ml almond milk unsweetened
- 2 tsp Greek yogurt unsweetened
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 handful of kale washed
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth. For about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Optional Substitutions
This is not all, to make it even easier for you to make this pineapple smoothie, here are some additional substations you can make:- If you don't like bananas, use frozen mango instead.
- Use spinach instead of kale.
- You can substitute lemon juice for lime juice.
- If you are vegan, use unsweetened vegan yogurt instead of Greek yogurt.
Nutrition
This smoothie has protein, fat, leafy greens, crabs, and more. Everything we discussed in this guide. We hope you enjoy it!
P.S. We recommend that you watch the video above, as it will breakdown balancing your smoothies further!
Overall
It can be super easy to craft a great smoothie, but achieving balance and the perfect smoothie ratio is not always so easy.
Understanding food ratios and what is actually in the foods that you put into your smoothies can help you to get a better scope of what you are ingesting.
Remember that the biggest focus should be the fluids, carbs, and proteins, include healthy fats if you can, and only from there should you consider health boosters and sweetening.
Not every smoothie will need a health boost or sweetening either. Taste the smoothie as you go along, and judge from there.
Additionally, she spent a few years working for Smoothie King, where she gained extensive knowledge about making smoothies.
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