Smoothies for weight loss

Recently, among people who dream of losing weight, controlling their figure or simply adhering to a healthy lifestyle, special cocktails called smoothies have become very popular. They are something between a drink and a full meal. Smoothies are made by mixing different products in a blender, often vegetables, berries and fruits. The fashion for such cocktails came to us from the West, where their use has almost become a cult. In America and Europe, you can easily find establishments that offer smoothies, and often they serve nothing but them.

In our article, we will see the benefits of smoothies for weight loss, how to use them and prepare them for effective weight loss.

Smoothie ingredients

A smoothie can hardly be called a drink - it is more of a dessert, an appetizer, a snack or even a full meal. The type of food for which a cocktail will be used largely depends on its composition. For this, completely different components can be taken. In addition to traditional vegetables, berries and fruits for smoothies, spices, herbs, leaves, nuts, ice cream, yogurt, milk, kefir, sprouted wheat, ice cream andseeds often complete its composition. Naturally, the properties of the dish will also change from the presence of certain components in the cocktail. To lose weight, smoothies should be made from low-calorie foods and fat-burning foods. First of all, it is recommended to pay attention to the following points:

• Vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, peppers, onions.
• Greens - basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, spinach, sorrel.
• Berries - gooseberries, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, currants.
• Fruits - apples, cherries, cherry plums, apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, limes, pears, kiwis, pineapples, grapefruits and other citrus fruits.
• Dairy products - fat-free or low-fat kefir, cottage cheese and milk, natural yogurt without sugar.
• Natural juices, green tea.
• Seeds and nuts - flax seeds, wheat germ, sesame, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pine nuts and Brazil nuts in very small quantities.
• Oat flakes, bran.
• Hot seasonings and spices, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger.

How to make smoothies for weight loss

Like other similar cocktails, slimming smoothies are made in a blender. The necessary components are thoroughly washed, if necessary, the skin and the core with stones are removed from it. Then they are laid in a mixing bowl and grind until smooth. Also, if desired, additional components can be added to the smoothie, for example, spices, flax seeds, nuts, etc. Naturally, cocktails with solid components should no longer be drunk, but eaten.

To prepare a successful smoothie, take components of different density, that is, one product should be more solid, the other - juicier, for example, you can take a grapefruit and an apple. More interesting flavors are obtained by mixing sweet and sour foods. If you see that the cocktail is too thick, add the most suitable liquid component to it - juice, green tea, milk, cream or ice cubes.

When making cocktails for weight loss, try to choose the products that you like the most, and then from their use you will get pleasure in addition to benefits. But it is enough to choose the ingredients wisely, to refuse high-calorie additives such as chocolate, ice cream, etc. , as well as sugar and other sweeteners. Ideally, you should get a smoothie that is nutritious enough to give the body the necessary energy boost, but at the same time it should have minimal calorie content, ideally around 200 calories.

How to lose weight with smoothies

Hoping that drinking a glass of smoothies a day will make you lose weight isn't worth it. Noticeable weight loss will only happen with an integrated approach. Cocktails should in no case constitute a complementary food, they should replace at least one of the usual meals. Along with this, you also need to keep track of what you eat besides smoothies. During the period of weight loss, alcohol, sugary, fatty and high-calorie foods should be eliminated from the diet. It is recommended to supplement these measures with an increase in physical activity.

Fasting days on smoothies, during which you only consume these products, can work well. These days can be spent once or twice a week. Especially persistent eat only smoothies for several days in a row. In principle, this is allowed and may even be beneficial to health, because such a menu will also help cleanse the body of all harmful things.

The main thing to remember is that you can only eat smoothies for up to a week. At the same time, it is better to eat in small portions (about one glass) about six times a day or every two hours. This approach to nutrition allows you to reduce the volume of the stomach, improve metabolism and prevent strong hunger, which often leads to breakdowns. Naturally, the smoothie diet, carried out in this way, will give the fastest and best results.

Smoothies - recipes for weight loss

Oatmeal smoothie

There are two ways to prepare an oatmeal cocktail. According to the first, before mixing the ingredients, it is recommended to steam the oatmeal with a small amount of boiling water or hot milk. In a second step, the oatmeal is placed in a mixing bowl with other ingredients and whipped raw. It is difficult to say which of these methods is the best. It's worth trying making smoothies this way and that, then deciding what you like best.

Some of the most common oatmeal smoothie recipes are:

• Place a few tablespoons of steamed or dry oatmeal, half a banana, one hundred grams of natural low-fat yogurt in a blender, then beat all the ingredients. If the mixture is too thick, it can be slightly diluted with milk or kefir. Also, if desired, fruits, berries or a combination thereof can be added to this cocktail.
• Grind four strawberries, a quarter of a banana, a spoonful of oatmeal and half a glass of kefir with a blender. Ready smoothie can be sprinkled with chopped nuts.

green smoothie

Such a cocktail can be prepared from vegetables and fruits, which are often mixed. Consider some interesting green smoothie recipes:

• Diet smoothie with asparagus and celery. Asparagus, being an excellent natural source of carbohydrates and proteins, saturates well, and celery rejuvenates cells and promotes weight loss, avocados and Chinese cabbage nourish the body with vitamins and enrich the taste. All this makes this smoothie an ideal product for weight loss. To prepare it, mix one hundred grams of Chinese cabbage, water and celery, add half an avocado and four stalks of asparagus, then chop all the ingredients.
• Spinach-banana smoothie. In the bowl of a blender, place half a large banana, a third of a bunch of lettuce, three large spinach leaves, a glass of water and a few mint leaves. Grind the ingredients until smooth and pour them into a suitable container. This cocktail is well complemented with flax or chia seeds, goji berries or spirulina powder. Therefore, if you have any of the products listed, you can add them to your smoothie.
• Lemon smoothie. Place about three hundred grams of spinach (other greens can be used instead), half a lemon, a pear, a banana and one hundred milliliters of water in a mixing bowl, then grind them untilsmooth consistency. By the way, water can be replaced with milk, try this option, you may like it better.
• Apple smoothie. Cut the apple into slices and remove the core. Place the wedges in a blender, add a handful of spinach (fresh or frozen will work), then blend.
• Green mix. Remove the skin from a cucumber and deseed a green pepper. Cut them into pieces, place them in a mixing bowl, then add the chopped green onion stalk, a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, a third of a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger. Grind the ingredients when they turn into a homogeneous mass, add a little mineral water and stir the cocktail.

Veggie smoothies and blended smoothies

• One hundred and fifty grams of cooked and slightly cooled broccoli, beaten with a mixer. Then add a few greens, aromatic herbs and a glass of kefir and whisk again.
• Combine one hundred grams of boiled broccoli and the same amount of fresh spinach, peeled orange, medium sliced carrots and a quarter of an apple. Grind the ingredients in a blender, then add a glass of grapefruit juice to it and beat.
• Chop half an avocado, an apple and a cucumber, along with chopped fresh ginger.
• Mix five cherry tomatoes (these can be replaced by a regular tomato), a cucumber, half a stalk of celery, a quarter of a small onion, a few sprigs of dill, a clove of garlic, a small pinch of black pepper andchilled kefir.

Smoothie recipes for weight loss with sprouted wheat

• Place two fruits and a spoonful of sprouted wheat in the blender bowl. Beat the ingredients well, then pour a glass of milk into it, put a spoonful of cottage cheese and beat everything again.
• Place a glass of kefir in the blender bowl, add a handful of berries to it, choose your favorite ones, a spoonful of sprouted wheat, four tablespoons of yogurt and half a spoonful of honey.

fruit smoothie

Cut into small pieces half a kiwi, a medium apple, half a grapefruit and a quarter of a banana. Add to it 2 grams of dry ginger root or a small piece of fresh ginger root, a glass of fresh green tea and a spoonful of honey. Grind all the components until smooth with a blender, then pour the resulting mass into a suitable container.