A weight loss smoothie has few calories and saturates the body with nutrients. The drink creates a feeling of satiety, so it is appropriate to use it as part of a diet. Externally, the smoothie resembles a dense mass with a multicomponent composition based on plant ingredients.
Smoothie: what is it?
This is a thick drink that uses fruits, vegetables and juices as a base. Smoothies are used to correct the diet and normalize weight, so they are suitable for cleansing the body. The main advantages of the food supplement:
- Easy to do, doesn't take much time, easy to do at home.
- It is made mostly of inexpensive herbal ingredients.
- You can drink it every day, without restrictions.
- Contains no harmful food ingredients.
- Suitable for blender or mixer.
- Grated vegetables and juices are absorbed better.
- The composition contains vitamins and useful microelements.
- The digestive activity of the stomach and intestines is normalized, thanks to the large amount of fiber in the composition.
- A large number of recipes, which make the diet varied.
- Satisfies hunger, reduces cravings for sweets.
- Normalizes metabolic processes.
- Helps remove toxins from the body.
Cocktails are consumed at any time of the day and are ideal for replacing a high-calorie dinner. Losing weight is easier with the use of drinks.
Who shouldn't drink smoothies to lose weight?
Despite the extensive list of beneficial properties of the drink, there are good reasons why you should not get carried away.
Drinking smoothies is contraindicated in the following cases:
- the presence of chronic or acute renal failure;
- hepatitis, various liver diseases;
- pregnancy period;
- breastfeeding;
- neurotic or obsessive states associated with an eating disorder - a history of bulimia, anorexia or orthorexia;
- tendency to food allergies, in particular hypersensitivity to fruit combinations;
- intolerance to lactose and dairy products.
During pregnancy, smoothies can be drunk only with the permission of the doctor and with careful selection of ingredients. It is forbidden to mix fruit with milk or honey, so as not to put a strain on the gastrointestinal tract. When selecting the optimal components, the drink will benefit only the expectant mother.
How to make a green smoothie
Plant-based drinks are popular among people who practice raw food diets and vegetarianism. Green ingredients are used as a basis: leaf tea, rooibos or mint buds. Often, herb juices, broccoli, dill, parsley or a vegetable mix of cucumbers, green peppers or apples are used as a base.
The most useful component is algae, rich in calcium, iodine, zinc and essential microelements. The vitamins they contain prevent the onset of oxidative stress and fight free radicals. Vegetable components are combined with fruit, which gives the drink a spicy taste.
Juice, water and milk are used as a liquid base. An example of a classic combination: spinach, bananas, ice, milk and blueberries.
It is important to adjust the proportions individually to ensure a moderate thickness of the product. The increased thickness is a deviation from the recipe.
The calculation of the quantity of ingredients depends on the following ratio: 200 ml of milk base, 20 g each of herbs, fruit or berries. This mixture makes a smoothie.
Diet smoothie recipes
The simplest drinks suitable for daily consumption are prepared using a blender. They can be used as a supplement to the main diet, or at breakfast or dinner to replace the usual portion of food.
The simplest option is to mix a glass of low-fat yogurt with a cucumber in a blender without adding any auxiliary ingredients. The spicy taste comes from a mixture of a banana, 100 ml of almond milk and a cup of lettuce.
The diet is easier to tolerate if you make a smoothie using a whole banana, a cup of salad and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Banana is the best source of easily digestible carbohydrates that quickly satisfy hunger. Orange juice contains antioxidants and natural fat burners based on synephrine. Leaf lettuce contains a lot of fiber that is difficult to digest.
Other healthy drink options:
- The best way to recharge your batteries in the morning is to have a tasty and healthy breakfast. You need to mix 100 grams of seedless white grapes, lettuce and a glass of natural orange juice.
- The second option is to mix grapes with a banana and a glass of yogurt without sweet additives. This is a hearty dish that helps satisfy severe hunger.
- A more complex variant: a mixture of grapes, banana, lettuce and fresh orange juice.
- Spicy ingredients: fresh peach, lettuce or spinach, orange juice.
- Smoothie for weight loss: one apple, one cup of celery sticks. The mixture is mixed until pureed and 50 ml of water is added to obtain a larger portion volume.
- Non-standard option: one carrot, one cup of celery sticks, 100 g of low-fat yogurt, one banana. It should be fully ground and can be eaten for breakfast or dinner.
To select the optimal fat burning menu using healthy cocktails, it is recommended to consult a nutritionist.
Use smoothies to cleanse your body
Detoxification is a modern trend in dietetics that allows not only to eliminate excess weight, but also to cleanse the body of harmful substances accumulated during the period of junk food abuse. As nutritionists confirm, with the help of detoxification you can improve the functioning of the digestive system, improve skin condition, eliminate acne and slow down the aging process.
It is optimal to carry out therapy once every six months. The duration of detoxification is 2-4 weeks, no more. The principle is to consume smoothies at a dietary level 8 times a day, every 1. 5-2 hours.
Before starting detox therapy, it is recommended to normalize your daily diet for 1-2 weeks. You should give up alcohol, fats, fried foods, fast foods, stop abusing caffeine, start leading an active lifestyle and stop smoking. With uniform preparation, the body will normally accept detoxification therapy. If you start a crash diet, your health will significantly deteriorate and the person will not be able to withstand the detoxification period.
At first, a person losing weight is tormented by hunger, but within a week her body adapts and the diet is tolerated normally. A correct and varied selection of cocktails is important so that the detox diet does not become boring and brings pleasure during the period of cleansing the body of toxins. It is necessary to gradually get out of such a cleansing diet.
Examples of detox drinks
400 g of spinach is mixed with 400 ml of boiled or filtered water. Then add 3 medium bananas, lemon or lime juice. This is a hearty mixture that should be divided into 3-4 servings. The main thing in detox is the frequency of drinking cocktails in small portions. This helps to accelerate metabolic processes and initiate the active functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
In a blender, mix 2 medium-sized bananas, half a cup of fresh blueberries, the juice of 2-3 lemon slices, 3 celery stalks and 100 ml of water. Celery contains a large amount of dietary fiber, which helps cleanse the intestines. Blueberries are a source of lutein, a natural component that supports visual acuity. Berries also have antioxidant properties.
The combination of celery, lettuce, lime and banana is rich in antioxidants that actively prevent the spread of free radicals in the body. Mix 2 stalks of celery with a generous handful of spinach leaves, 100 ml of water, a banana and the juice of half a lime. Celery, in addition to its purifying properties, acts as a natural fat burner. Among the plant components, only citrus fruits can boast this effect.
A combination of banana, spinach, apple and lemon will help energize and maintain vitality. Bananas are filling and contain a moderate amount of carbohydrates. Vegetables are mixed in a blender with two small bananas, an apple, lemon juice and 100 ml of water. It is necessary to use in 3 doses.
A multicomponent composition that leaves no one indifferent, because the taste is truly unusual.
A combination of lettuce, fresh cucumber, lemon and honey will help you not only fill you up, but also enjoy an unusual taste. Fresh cucumbers show good detoxifying properties and lettuce is rich in alpha-tocopherol, the main antioxidant vitamin. In a blender, beat a bunch of lettuce, a small peeled cucumber, lemon juice, a spoonful of honey and 200 ml of water. The mixture is drunk in 2-3 doses.
In a blender, mix peeled medium-sized carrots, one beetroot, a bunch of celery, one medium cucumber without peel, 2 fresh apples, a handful of ginger and parsley. The drink is slightly sweet with a spicy aftertaste. Beets have pronounced cleansing properties that help speed up intestinal function.
Weight loss shakes are a great way to shed extra pounds, eliminate bloating, and normalize blood sugar levels. There are numerous variations in preparing diet drink recipes. We recommend consulting a nutritionist regarding the optimal selection of ingredients.