5 Tips for a Healthier Smoothie

Smoothies are such a great go-to breakfast for hot, sunny summer days. The variations are endless and they are so refreshing. Since there are a million and one different smoothie recipes online, here are a couple of tips for getting the most from your morning smoothie.

1. Skip the fruit juice. Skip the fruit juice and use whole fruit for your smoothie. When fruit is juiced, you miss out on all of the fiber which is important for satiety and blood sugar control post-breakfast. Add a quartered orange to your smoothie and you will add 3 grams of fiber while pouring in a cup of orange juice only adds 0.5 grams. Another reason you should choose the whole fruit is to curb your overall sugar intake. When fruit is juiced, it concentrates the sugar, almost doubling the sugar of the whole fruit. For example, a cup of orange juice has almost twice the sugar as a whole orange (21 grams vs 12 grams).

2. Add some protein. Protein promotes satiety and prevents mid-morning munchies at work. If you use yogurt or regular milk in your smoothie and you’ll add quite a bit of protein. However, if you prefer coconut or almond milk in your smoothies, make sure to mix in some nut butter or protein powder as non-dairy milk is often lacking in protein. Peanut butter, milk, and yogurt add filling protein to this nutty banana coffee smoothie.

3. Incorporate some fat. Like protein, fat will also make your smoothie both filling and delightfully creamy. Fat can be added in a variety of ways: whole milk, full fat yogurt, nut butter, avocado, full fat coconut milk, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, etc. This matcha tea green smoothie is made super creamy with a bit of full fat canned coconut milk.

4. Sneak in some veggies. You might have noticed, green smoothies are all the rage right now! Many vegetables can be blended into smoothies with only minor changes to the overall flavor. I’ve found that spinach is best for beginners. However, feel free to experiment with kale, beets, cucumber, carrots, sweet potato and more. Check out my berry beet smoothie and try the whole veggies for breakfast thing out.

5. Add a buzz with caffeine. Most of us start our mornings with a cup of coffee or strong tea to get us going. Why not add a little caffeine boost to your smoothie as well? Mix in some frozen coffee ice cubes or matcha green tea into your next smoothie, it’s delicious! Try out this tropical matcha tea smoothie, one of my favorites.