Are Smoothies Useful?
Dear Lifehacker, I love smoothies and find them quite healthy. After all, these are mostly fruits, sometimes even with leafy greens and protein added. But I have friends who leave it alone, saying that there is so much sugar in smoothies that they are mostly candy. What’s the matter? Aren’t smoothies healthy?
Regards, Fruit Fan
Dear fruit fan, smoothies have an exaggerated reputation for being “healthy”, but not all of them are bad. There are ways to improve their nutritional value while reducing some of the sugar, especially if you make them yourself. But for most standard smoothies, I tend to side with your friends: the sugar content is often on the “no better than Coca-Cola” level.
This is not an exaggeration. A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola contains 39 grams of sugar, which is comparable to Starbucks’s new 16-ounce smoothie: 32 grams with sweet green flavor, 42 grams with mango-carrots. (I’m using Starbucks as my example smoothie because they seem like a great example of store-bought smoothies. I’m sure smoothie lovers will share their favorite brands in the comments.)
Homemade smoothies are not necessarily better recipes in the slideshow ” 20 superpoleznyh smoothies ” in Prevention contain on average 28 grams of sugar per serving, and this number is likely to have been higher if the size of their servings were more realistic.
There are, of course, worse things to drink. Coca-Cola lacks significant amounts of vitamins or fiber, as does Starbucks flavored lattes, which contain the same amount of sugar as their smoothie counterparts ( 35 grams per 16-ounce serving). Sometimes smoothies contain a decent amount of protein, which can be another plus. However, this varies greatly. If you are hoping for protein, don’t guess; check the nutritional information for your favorite brand and flavor. (If you’re making your own, of course, check the label rather than assuming one scoop is the ideal amount; some powders have more protein than others.)
Ultimately, the decision about whether something is “useful” comes down to whether it helps you achieve your goals. If you’re avoiding sugar (which I would say helps for many purposes, including weight loss and diabetes prevention), you’re probably best off avoiding store-bought smoothies and being better aware of what you’re putting in those you do at home.
How to make healthier smoothies
Before we start talking about smoothie recipes, a little reality check is pertinent: if you want fruits in your diet, you can just eat them . You can eat a whole pint of strawberries for 92 calories and 14 grams of sugar , compared to 300 calories and 38 grams of strawberry smoothie – and the whole fruit contains more fiber . These numbers should also give you a little secret: it’s not fruits that make smoothies so energetic, but more often juices and sweetened ingredients like yogurt.
But if you love smoothies, if you’re using them as a post-workout protein delivery vehicle, or if you’re having a hard time getting any fruits or vegetables in your diet without them, here’s the good news: With some smart substitutes, you can make smoothies healthier. , but at the same time keep them as tasty (or even more delicious). Here are some strategies:
- Do not use juice as a liquid . This seems like a logical way to make your smoothie more fruity, but juice is high in sugar and not required for a delicious smoothie. Let the fruit add a fruity flavor, and think of other liquids: non-dairy milk (like almond milk) is low in calories, dairy milk is higher in calories but high in protein and possibly fat, and there is always plain water as an option.
- Use unsweetened ingredients and sweeten to taste . You might be surprised how little you need – for my smoothies, usually a teaspoon of honey (5 grams of sugar) is enough for a whole blender filled with unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened whey powder and fruit.
- Don’t feel like you need to fill the blender to the top . Especially for post-workout shakes: just make enough smoothies to get the job done. One or two scoops of unscented whey powder, a ripe banana, and some milk or water is delicious (especially with added cardamom) and minimalistic.
- Include fats and protein . They slow down the absorption of sugar or, in technical terms, lower the glycemic response . A spoonful of protein powder is a natural choice, while making a smoothie with milk is a natural choice as the liquid helps to increase the protein content. You can also add a scoop of peanut or almond butter, or even an avocado if you like that sort of thing. Fiber plays a similar role (and most of us lack it), so you can use oats, chia seeds, or even a powdered fiber supplement. Bonus from any of them: the smoothie will keep you full for much longer, making it look more like a food than a drink.
In the end, whether or not you should drink a smoothie depends on which smoothie you choose and whether it helps you achieve your goals, not what the dude at the gym or the woman next to you at Starbucks thinks.
Regards, Lifehacker
Images of Rin Ohara and Tambako Jaguar .
Vitals is a new blog from Lifehacker dedicated to health and fitness. Follow us on Twitter here .