Smoothies. They’re like the unhealthiest healthy food there is.
Is there another “healthy” food that has such a wide range of nutritional composition?
Like, you can’t make apples that unhealthy. You could cover ’em in chocolate and dip them in honey, and yeah, that’s pretty unhealthy, but they’re still apples.
On the other hand, you can make your smoothie with ice cream and reeses’ peanut butter cups. That is deadly to a diet.
So yeah, smoothies can be unhealthy if you make them with unhealthy ingredients. Duh.
But did you also know that they can make you gain weight, even if you think you’re doing them right?
Here are 4 common smoothie mistakes that actually make people gain weight.
Check out our fat burning cinnamon bun shake recipe here.
Mistake #1: Too Much Fruit
Fruits are good. They’re better than cake, ice cream, and other unhealthy foods.
Why? Because they’re packed with nutrients and also pack a good deal of fiber.
However, they also pack a lot of calories for how healthy they are.
This is because of all the sugar that’s inside fruit. They’re sweet for a reason, folks.
So you think you’re making a healthy 5 fruit smoothie, but it actually turns out to be 500 calories. Ouch.
Next time, go a bit lighter on the fruit and a bit heavier on protein powder, tofu, yogurt, soy milk, or nuts.
Mistake #2: Too Much Sweetener
This is kind of silly coming up right after fruits, since we were just talking about how too much sweet stuff = too much sugar = too many calories, but it’s another common mistake, so I’m sticking it here.
You might be tempted to add just a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey to your smoothie, and who could blame you? Those things are delicious!
Unfortunately, they also pack 60 unneeded calories into your smoothie, turning it from healthy to ‘ehhhh it’s fine I guess’.
If you want your smoothies to be actually healthy so that you can lose weight, stick with plain yogurt or unsweetened soy or almond milk. It won’t be as sweet, but it’s much better for you.
Want to kick your sugar habit for good? Check out our article on how to stop eating sugar.
Mistake #3: Not Enough Fiber
Fiber is super great. If you want to lose weight, fiber is your best friend.
Why? For so many reasons, that’s why.
It fills you up to prevent hunger pangs that lead you to crummy food, it keeps you regular so that your metabolism keeps burning strong, and it flushes toxins out of your body.
Fiber! It’s great!
That’s why you need a lot of it in your smoothies.
Some smoothie ingredients that are high in fiber include kale, berries, avocado, kiwi, beans, chia seeds, and pear.
more: Take The Quiz – Do You Know The Unique Veggies That Burn Abdominal Fat?
Some that don’t include apples and banana. Stick to the high fiber foods and keep your smoothies healthy.
Want more ideas for how to speed up your metabolism? Find out how here.
Mistake #4: Not Enough Protein
OK, so you packed your smoothie full of kale, cucumber, and enough fiber-ful veggies to make the most constipated person in the world glue themselves to the toilet for days. Awesome.
Except you forgot one thing: protein.
Protein is super important to maintaining your energy levels during the day. If you’re susceptible to energy crashes followed by irresponsible snacking, make sure to load up your smoothie with some protein to put off that bad snacking – at least 10 grams.
Go for milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, nut butter, or soy milk for the protein kick your smoothie needs.
And if you’re stuck for ideas, check out these awesome high protein smoothie recipes.
In summary…
Smoothie Mistakes That Make You Gain Weight
- Too much fruit
- Too much sweetener
- Not enough fiber
- Not enough protein
If you loved this article, then check out these other must-see related posts:
Find Out Exactly How Many Calories Are in Your Go-To Smoothie
Treat Your Taste Buds (and Muscles) to 5 High-Protein Smoothies
Nice piece and comments. I make my smoothies using ONLY fruits and some veggies, I particularly like using, watermelon, oranges, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber, once in a while pawpaw. No added sweeteners, no milk, no yorghurt but i’m still adding the weight. Am I over doing it with the natural sugars? And i’m not someone who snacks in between meals and I try to eat smaller portions of my other meals and are quite healthy too.
Who would put sweetener in a smoothie? The kind of people that coat strawberries in sugar.
In going vegetarian i made smoothies ando gained weight. Never realizing I was overdoing the apples, so this makes sense
If you need to add sugar at first to get used to the bland taste and texture, that is ok, I feel. BUT if you are adding sugar each time you have a fruit smoothie, I am not sure you are going to be getting any of the health benefits from it.
I love to make smoothies for the entire family and the other week my daughter was talking about how they can be bad for you and I was no taking that. I have been drinking them for years, but when she explained the sugar thing to me, it did make sense.
It is all about that extra sugar. Keep that to a minimum and I think you will have a great smoothie that is actually healthy!
Smoothies are so great. The first time I made a “smoothie” I just winged it and man did it taste like crap LOL. There was barely any way to recover from that taste that was in my mouth. Right after that I saved a few recipes that I found online.
I think a diet of smoothies is a good one. But like you said, you need to include certain ingredients to make them the healthiest.
I think that even though a smoothie can be very healthy for you, you need to watch how you make it. Just like you mentioned here, adding the wrong or too much of something can be a bad thing.
when it comes to smoothies, I make the best. I pack them with protein and fiber, but use just the right fruits to keep them sweet. you never know the difference and you WILL feel good after one of mine :)
Poor smoothies :) Always getting a bad name and stuff. I love to eat smoothies, but I also know what happens when you are not careful with them. Just let the natural sugars be the sweetener and you should be just fine.
I LOVE smoothies. You can make them in so many ways and once you find a few that you really like, it is easy to buy the ingredients and still with those as a plan from that point forward.
What is your favorite smoothie combo?
I like to blend my own mango and apple together with vanilla, fat free yogurt. It is so good and makes me feel great!
This is great news! I like to read about new things and recipes and things like that. Did you just make up this recipe, or find it online?
I tend to keep mine very simple. If I am going to add anything, it is just more fruit. Yogurt is also another thing that can add some flavor and health benefits.
Smoothies are good and good for you, but like you just mentioned you have to watch what you are adding and how you deal with the ingredients for sure. Be careful and make sure that you are going to benefit the most that you can from each drink.
It has been proven more than one time that if your smoothie is going to have less fiber and protein, but loaded with sugar you are not going to be getting the best benefits from it. Keep the fiber in mind at the minimum. Good luck!
People need to understand what it means to your body when you ADD sugar to anything that you ingest. Smoothies are a great way to get a nice, refreshing drink packed with the fruits of your choice, but when you add sugar to the natural sugars already present, that is not a good thing!
fiber and protein THAT is what it is all about!
You got THAT right man! If you want to build muscle and feed your body, make sure these two are included. Stay away from added sugar at all costs.
Smoothies are so good though. Maybe that is because they are so sweet. Now I am paranoid about drinking them in the morning. I always thought it was a great way to get my “breakfast” in, am I wrong?
Fruit has plenty of natural sugars so when you add your own sugar to a smoothie, you are really doubling up on the carbs and that is why you need to watch out. If you are going to go with a smoothie, then it makes more sense to keep it simple and totally organic with nothing added.
As long as you do the smoothie the right way, it can be very good for you! Adding extra sugar will NEVER be good for you. Most of the time you are getting enough naturally from the fruits you add. Good tips!
I drink smoothies all of the time, but I DO NOT add any other sweeteners and things like that. I tend to think that if I am going to get “this fresh food” into a a glass after making it liquid, I would just keep it natural.
I have an issue with smoothies once in a while and that is that they are too bland. I add a little bit of sugar and it seems to liven things up just enough to enjoy them. Is that a bad thing?
It could be if you are adding a lot of sugar and you are doing it every single time you have one. You have to remember that sugar is a killer inside of your body, so if you do not burn it off, it just turns to fat.
I used to like smoothies, but then I had them so much I ran out of options to keep the drinks fresh and I hate having the same things over and over again! It could be a good thing that I removed them from my diet.
You do not have to remove them from your diet completely. Just look up different ways to prepare them and go from there. They can be quite delightful.
If you keep it simple with more protein and fiber than sugars, you will be ok. The mistake is the added sweetness that just turns into bad things inside your body.
Believe it or not these are VERY common mistakes. It is also common to think that alcohol has no affect on your diet. There is plenty of sugar and carbs there was well!
Just like any other type of diet, you want to stay away from the sugars, whether natural or added. If you are not going to burn that up in your body, it will quickly turn into carbs, then fat.
I never would have thought of a smoothie like this. It does make sense that protein and fiber are needed as main ingredients over the sugar and fruits.
I have heard about making smoothies the wrong way. People think that as long as they mashed a bunch of whatever into a glass that they are getting a healthy drink.