You’ve probably seen plenty of ads for weight-loss smoothies promising insane results in just a few days.
Do they appear too good to be true to you?
The truth is that weight-loss smoothies can serve as a great addition to a diet. But they aren’t a miraculous solution to sustainable weight loss.
When you use smoothies as part of your healthy diet and active lifestyle, they can create steady weight loss and improve your overall health.
Are Weight Loss Smoothies a Good Way to Lose Weight?
The simplest method for losing weight is to regularly burn more calories than you consume.
Sure, there are “ifs” and “buts” surrounding this statement. Yet, if you focus on this goal, you’ll experience some pleasing results.
Weight loss smoothies are a great supplement to help you to achieve this, as they tend to be filling and low in calories.
Replace one or two meals per day with a nutritious low-calorie weight-loss shake and the pounds will start to drop off, provided these shakes are enjoyed as part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Which Weight Loss Smoothies Help You Lose Weight?
Seek out nutritious low-calorie weight loss smoothies that are sugar-free and nondairy.
“Why nondairy?”
It’s highly recommended to avoid milk or other dairy products. These are not a natural component of the human diet and often prove harmful in the long run.
So, provided this criterion is met and you don’t overindulge, your exact choice of the recipe isn’t of the utmost importance.
Some diets rely on creating imbalance through focusing on a particular food, [This] may well stimulate weight loss, but it does not meet the full spectrum of nutritional requirements that a human needs. And so the diet works for a period of time, until eventually, the body is screaming for the missing nutrients and that triggers cravings.
— Eric Edmeades, trainer of Mindvalley’s WildFit Quest
We’d recommend choosing a drink that you personally find filling, tasty and satisfying. This would help keep you motivated to consume these shakes as part of a healthier lifestyle, rather than forcing yourself on a restrictive forced diet you don’t like.
Going on a diet isn’t about restriction or strict rules, it’s about addressing your basic nutritional needs.
“So what are your basic nutritional needs?”
When it comes to taking control of your weight mindfully, you need to look at your dietary needs on a basic level and ask the question, “what do I need to be healthy?”.
A simple principle to extract from this example is: Every species has a diet that is optimal for its survival and growth.
5 weight loss smoothies to add to your diet
We’ve collected some of our favorite shakes for you to try. They are perfect for your nutritional health and can work for just about anyone that wants to lose weight and get healthy in the process.
Each of these recipes is so easy to make, all they require is a simple three-step process.
- Throw in the ingredients into a blender.
- Spin until smooth.
- Serve.
It’s that easy!
Every organism on earth has a diet, just like a cheetah has a diet of 2.5 kilograms of fresh meat every day. Diets are specific, and humans have one.
— Eric Edmeades, trainer of Mindvalley’s WildFit Quest
1. Alkagizer
This green smoothie is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Consume this no-sugar beverage in the morning to prepare yourself for whatever challenge the day throws at you.
Ingredients: Bone broth, mixed herbs, jalapeno peppers, swiss chard, cucumber, mint, fennel, avocado, herbal tea.
2. Raspberry smoothie
This breakfast smoothie utilizes the nutritional power of raspberries. One cup of raspberries contains an impressive dosage of Vitamin C, E, and K as well as around 8 grams of fiber, helping you to feel fuller for longer.
Ingredients: Frozen raspberries, peeled and cooked beet, unsweetened almond milk, assorted berries, chopped and roasted almonds for dressing.
3. Strawberry citrus and ginger smoothie
Ginger is great for weight loss because it suppresses your appetite and decreases inflammation.
Strawberries are very low in calories and loaded with fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
Combined, you have the best weight loss smoothie that is packed with nutrients and keep you feeling full.
Ingredients: Orange juice, banana, fresh ginger, frozen strawberries.
4. Immunity-boosting green tea smoothie
With this beverage, you can enjoy the antioxidants and fat-burning benefits of green tea in the form of a deliciously fruity smoothie.
Ingredients: Unsweetened green tea leaves, peaches, pineapple, honey, lemon juice.
5. Coffee, banana, and avocado smoothie
Need a caffeine hit for an ultra-productive day? Why not get it with this nutritional smoothie.
Benefits of ingredients?
Ingredients: Avocado, banana, chia seeds, espresso shots, unsweetened almond milk, ice.
Can Weight Loss Smoothies Make You Fat?
Not all weight loss shakes are created equal.
Some of the protein powders designed for adding to these smoothies are packed with sugars or unhealthy additives.
To maximize your chances of sustainable weight loss, create sugar-free and dairy-free smoothies with natural ingredients.
These shakes should be consumed as part of a balanced and sustainable diet. If you’re drinking these shakes on top of an unhealthy calorie-dense diet, they’ll contribute to your weight gain.
At the same time, if you’re replacing too many meals with weight loss shakes, it’s likely to create junk food cravings that will be difficult to resist.
Somebody goes on a diet and then they eat less food and they start to starve themselves. How long is that going to work?
For some people, a day or two. For some people, a week or two. For some people, a month or two. But in almost every case, they’ll end up slingshotting back and putting the weight back on, plus some.
— Eric Edmeades, trainer of Mindvalley’s WildFit Quest
Your best to stick with the smoothies suggested in this article – or to create your own recipes using the ingredients suggested above.
What Other Drinks Help to Stimulate Weight Loss?
If you’re more into hot beverages, there are plenty of teas that stimulate weight loss.
Oolong tea is gaining popularity in the West, as more people wake up to its great taste and weight loss benefits. This beverage has been proven to help your body metabolize fats quicker, while also stabilizing your blood sugar levels and warding off illness.
Green tea has similar properties and is packed with epigallocatechin (EGCG). This compound is known to improve your liver’s ability to convert fat into energy.
So if you are looking for a healthy natural way to lose weight, green tea is a great way to go.
Chamomile tea is a commonly recommended beverage to help induce deep sleep, thanks to a compound called apigenin.
Should I Drink Weight Loss Smoothies at Night?
The total amount of calories you consume is far more important than when you consume them.
However, it’s widely agreed that a good night’s sleep can help speed up weight loss – and sleeping on a full stomach can be disruptive.
For this reason, you may prefer to avoid heavy shakes – or heavy meals – before bedtime. Caffeinated drinks are also a definite no-no as they’ll keep you awake longer than you would have otherwise wanted.
