The Anatomy of a Healthy Smoothie
The smoothie is a drink usually made by blending a variety of healthy ingredients into a refreshing snack or liquid meal. Many people have their favourite combinations of fruit (fresh, frozen, or dried), yogurt, ice-cream, soy beverage, nuts and seeds, milk, green tea and even alcohol.
Some more unusual recipes include blending dry cereal, large flake rolled oats (dry), tofu, cooked rice and even energy bars into the mix. The smoothie has healthy connotations, and considering the typical ingredients, the connotation should be correct for the most part. I certainly regard the smoothie as a better alternative to juicing because the entire fruit is eaten.
There is actually a book exclusively covering the history of the smoothie. We should realize that before we could produce a smoothie the blender had to be invented and of course there had to be a reliable source of electricity. In other words, the history is rather recent. It would have been impossible to use my grandmother’s manual eggbeater to produce similar results.
With the wide range and favoured choices of ingredients, most smoothies should be healthy. However there are some serious, usually ignored, considerations to make the smoothie healthy.
I reviewed about 100 smoothie recipes and found the following common health mistakes.
- Little attention is paid to the glycemic index/load of the ingredients. High glycemic index means the drink will created an elevated insulin response that leads to fat storage, inflammatory conditions and elevated blood pressure.
- Most drinks are protein inadequate. Even those described as high-protein do not contain adequate protein. The carbohydrate to protein ratio is too high, creating the same problems as in No. 1.
- The calorie count of most smoothies is considerable. I didn’t find one recipe below 300 calories and many exceeded 600. That means they are large snacks or even small to medium sized meals.
- The quality of the ingredients will determine the health value of the drink. A large issue with fruit and vegetables is the organic versus conventional sources. EWG (Environmental Work Group) publishes a list of the pesticide residue levels (up to 60 different pesticides on a single crop) on 53 common fruits and vegetables. It is disturbing to know the top of the contaminated list includes apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, nectarines and grapes.
To see more go to: www.ewg.org/foodnews
So to get the most out of your smoothie, here’s the anatomy of a healthy smoothie:
- Choose low Glycemic index fruits (apples and berries are best) and measure the serving sizes (1/2 cup of raspberries = 30 calories)
- To increase the protein content try including tofu (tasteless) cottage cheese, goat yogurt — plain has an excellent carb to protein ratio, as does organic yogurt — or add protein supplement powder. Do not use flavoured yogurt. It’s too high in sugar. You can even add a soft poached egg.
- Do some arithmetic on your ingredients so you know the calorie count.
- Water is often the best base liquid for a nutritious smoothie.
- Ideally, choose organic, otherwise choose the least contaminated sources, such as Kiwi (rank 44), cantaloupe (rank 45), mango (rank 47 but high glycemic index) pineapple (rank 51 but also high glycemic index).
Snack Smoothie
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1 cup water
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1/2 cup raspberries
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1/2 fresh peach
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1 soft poached egg
- 3 tbsp soy protein supplement (15g protein, 9g carbs)
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2 tbsp frozen orange juice
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1/4 tsp vanilla extract
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Combine ingredients and blend.
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Calories 250, Protein 21g, Carbs 26g
Breakfast Smoothie
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1/2 cup goat yogurt (plain)
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1 kiwi (skin is very edible)
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1/2 cup 2% milk (or soy beverage)
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1/4 mango
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3 tbsp soy protein supplement (15g protein, 9g carbs)
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Combine ingredients and blend.
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Add water for desired consistency.
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Calories 335, Protein 27g, Carbs 46g
Further Reading:
Soy Protein Supplement
LeanSeekers International Nutritional Coaching, Sports Nutrition, Nutrition Advice
http://leanseekers.com/Articles/Health-Issues/Healthy-Smoothie