Healthy Smoothies to Lose Weight and Feel Great

Many people are becoming more and more empowered about their weight and how not only to look great but to feel really great! Naturally we all want to feel comfortable in our bodies, but we’re becoming more conscious about nourishing our bodies on the inside and how it can promote lasting wellness from within.

Healthy Smoothies

Maybe you want to to feel more vibrant, maybe your motivation is to feel the vitality to do fun things with your kids and be there to watch them grow up, whatever your reasons for wanting to lose weight, nutrient dense smoothies can help give your body the nourishment it craves, and help you get reach your ideal weight at the same time.

Why Smoothies for Weight Loss?

What do you get when you take nutrient dense leafy greens, high fiber fruit, nuts & seeds packed with protein and healthy fats, or a high quality protein powder, and blend them all together? That’s right…a party in a blender, aka a healthy smoothie! So simple, yet so effective at boosting weight loss and making your body feel so great. Here’s why…

♠ Nutrient rich vitamins and minerals in an easy to digest, highly absorbable form give you energy

♠ High fiber content keeps you full and keeps blood sugar levels in check

♠ Protein fires up mental alertness, keeps you full longer, and builds lean muscle which burns fat

♠ Healthy fats increases energy, mood, memory, burn fat, and are great for heart health

Notice I used spades as bullet points because you get all these benefits in spades when you drink one of these yummy bevs. Up for a little experiment?! Try incorporating a smoothie for one of your meals everyday for a week straight, and see how you feel. My guess is you’re gonna want more.

If you’re trying to lose weight quickly you can try replacing two of your meals a day with smoothies and eating two healthy snacks in between. Things like hummus and veggies, celery with peanut or almond butter, tuna lettuce wraps, plain greek yogurt, kale chips, you get the idea. See how you feel, if it doesn’t feel right, stick with just one a day, plus add them before or after workouts if you like.

Adding in some type of regular physical activity will get rid of unwanted pounds faster. Plus no doubt you’ll feel fantastic, which is just the motivation you need to put you in the mood for more delicious smoothies.

Tips on Smoothie Ingredients

Smoothie-Berries

Maybe you’ve heard that smoothies make you gain weight, and they actually can, especially when they are made with ingredients that pack a high glycemic load. The last thing anyone wants to do is unknowingly sabatoge their efforts, right? The thing is, as you’ve probably noticed, a lot of smoothies are super heavy on the fruit. So what should you do?

When it comes to fueling weight loss, smoothies with a low glycemic load are your best buddies. This means temporarily avoiding certain ingredients and including the best options to assist your body’s fat burning efforts. If you stick to a few simple tips when making your smoothies they will fuel your efforts instead of sabatoge them.

Make leafy greens the base of your smoothiesLeafy greens like kale, romaine, and spinach are some of the most nutritious, detoxifying, and powerful alkalizers to help your body thrive. It’s a good idea to alternate your greens so you’re not over doing any one in particular.

Choose high fiber fruits instead of high glycemic fruits – Good choices for high fiber fruits that won’t sabatoge your weight loss efforts include berries, apples, and pears. While fruits like bananas, pineapples, and mangoes have a lot of nutrients, they also spike blood sugar and insulin levels causing your body store fat, so temporarily avoiding these fruits is your best bet. If you absolutely need the sweetness of the banana, try using just half of one in your smoothie and monitor your efforts from there.

Reduce your glycemic load by adding quality protein – Good choices include a high quality plant based protein or whey protein, try to avoid soy. Adding healthy fats like MCT or coconut oil, avocado, nuts, or seeds including hemp seeds helps slow digestion, and allow a slow release of sugar for sustained energy.

Want to turbo charge your smoothies? Check out my Superfood Smoothie Powder you can make ahead and toss right in.

Superfood Smoothies Rock!

Blended super food smoothies are a powerhouse of energy, and fat burning fuel that can make a huge difference in your overall health, waistline, and well being. Need a recipe for your next smoothie? Try one of my smoothies here. Please keep in mind though, while some fit the weight loss bill with a low glycemic load, not all do.

But after reading this post, you’re equipped with how to make a weight loss friendly smoothie, so you can easily alter the ingredients :) Some make healthier options for desserts too. Hope you enjoy!

Have smoothies helped you lose weight and feel great? Share your faves in the comments below!

8 Comments

  1. Emma

    Hi, I posted a comment yesterday but my computer was acting up so I’m not sure if the comment went. Basically I wanted to say that I enjoyed your post and I’m planning to try some of your recipes. I have not really juiced before but it sounds like an efficient and yummy way to get a lot of nutrients at once!

  2. Liz

    I am looking for something that I really like to have to start losing weight. I will try your smoothies. Thanks for the suggestion, It looks great!

  3. Neil Firth

    Great article. You have a really cool writing style too which helps you understand everything you need to know about these ‘bad boys!’ I may just try some of these. Neil :-)

  4. Ana

    I’ve been wanting to include these in my diet as with temperatures rising I often don’t feel like eating plain fork and knife food. It may sound strange but it’s the truth. I will have a look at your smoothie recipe. Do you have any recommendations for someone starting off? I don’t like any kind of milk or avocados.

    1. Jess

      I totally get it, I love smoothies, and salads during warmer weather too. Eating seasonally is great for you! My smoothies call for almond or coconut milk but you can substitute purified water, or coconut water. For a first time smoothie (if weight loss is not your goal) I recommend trying the mango coconut kale-licious smoothie, it calls for coconut water, which is also a great way to replenish electrolytes in warmer weather. If weight loss is your goal just follow the guidelines under Important Things to Know When Choosing Your Ingredients mentioned in the post and you’ll be good to go! Good luck :)

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