Now that flip flop season is in full swing, you might be giving your blender a hard daily workout. Done right, smoothies don’t just help you beat the heat; they also fill your body with the nutrients you need to get back from a workout or start your day. That’s why they’ve become the heroes of so many gym brothers.
Smoothies, or protein shakes if that’s your lexicon of choice, are one of the easiest and most versatile things you can make. But some mistakes can quickly improve what should be an ultra-nutritious and equally delicious drink. Done wrong, a blender can go from nutritional hero to problem child.
This is how to make a better smoothie from the above blades.
How many calories should a protein shake have?
If you’re cutting calories with your training, it’s perfectly acceptable to drink a few extra calories. But you still need to know how much energy your daily smoothie provides; it might just surprise you. A few tablespoons of peanut butter, two tablespoons of protein powder, and full-fat yogurt can add up to a great load of calories. This is especially important because liquid calories are less filling than solid calories, so 500 calories from a smoothie won’t suppress your appetite like 500 calories from solid food. In general, a smoothie should not exceed 400 calories with a little more room to move if you eat it as a meal replacement or immediately after a calorie-dense workout.
Why Can’t Bananas Be the Best Smoothie Ingredient?
It’s understandable why bananas are a favorite smoothie ingredient for many people. They mix easily into drinks, add flavor and make delicious desserts – especially when using frozen bananas – and are relatively inexpensive compared to other fruits. But using them in your blender drinks can have a dark side.
Researchers from the University of California, Davis found that adding bananas to smoothies that also contain berries can reduce the body’s ability to absorb flavanol antioxidants in a variety of foods, including blueberries, blackberries, grapes, and even cocoa. Flavanols are naturally occurring plant compounds that have been linked to a number of health benefits, such as improved heart function. The problem is that bananas contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which can significantly reduce the amount of flavanols absorbed. Who knew?
It’s not that bananas are an unhealthy ingredient for your protein shake. The more specific lesson is that bananas may not be the best choice when you want to maximize the essential flavanols you get from your smoothie. Fruits with lower polyphenol oxidase activity include pineapples, oranges, and mangoes.
How to Balance Protein, Carbohydrates, and Healthy Fats in a Smoothie
A well-crafted smoothie should be macro-balanced and not heavily skewed toward protein or carbohydrates. This means you want to include ingredients that give you healthy amounts of all three macronutrients. So, fruit, vegetables, dried fruit and oats for carbohydrates; items like flax, hemp seeds, peanut butter or avocado for healthy fats and yogurt, protein powder, ultra-filtered milk or cottage cheese for muscle building protein. Now that’s a recipe for a satisfying drink.
Choosing the best protein powder for your shake
Look at the label on almost any protein powder and you’re bound to find some ingredients that aren’t protein. Namely, emulsifiers – food additives everywhere, including gum, are now found in most protein powders. These are added to improve soil mixing with liquids and increase shelf life. But it’s alarming to see studies showing that overexposure to these food additives can mess with the microbiome and also increase the risk of health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
It probably doesn’t matter if the only emulsifiers you’re consuming are from a scoop or two of protein powder, but maybe if you’re already consuming them from other foods like protein bars, salad dressings, and breads, then you might be heading into the emulsifier red zone. Fortunately, you can find protein powder brands that have these additives mixed into some of their products. These include: healthy drinks, raw food, equipment and essentials. It’s harder to find plant-based protein powders that aren’t made with emulsifiers.
Add a pinch of salt to restore Smoothies
It’s a good idea to avoid salt, but adding a pinch of white crystals to your recovery smoothies can serve the purpose of making them tastier. The sodium in salt can help retain water, which in turn aids rehydration efforts after a sweaty workout. Water likes to follow sodium, the electrolyte in salt. The more you sweat, the more you can benefit from consuming some post-workout sodium. You don’t need much; just 1/8 teaspoon added to the smoothie mix is enough. Note that if you mix in ingredients that contain salt, such as cottage cheese, you probably don’t need to add more.
The best vegetables to add to protein shakes
We tend to overlook that smoothies can be a sneaky way to eat extra veggies, something most guys should be eating more of. And of course an easy way to prepare them for consumption. Everything from spinach to cauliflower to carrots to roasted beets can work well in a protein shake. You can even use frozen vegetables for this purpose, which makes the whole process more convenient and gives your smoothies a frosty edge. Maybe mixing raw vegetables into smoothies will make them even more nutritious.
A read in the magazine Food chemistry found that pureeing raw spinach can cause more antioxidants to be released from the leaves. And when paired with flavorful ingredients like frozen berries, spices, and cocoa powder, they won’t make your shake taste like a salad. Of course, this won’t work if your idea of a smoothie is just protein powder and water poured into a bowl.
How excess sugar can turn a healthy smoothie into a calorie bomb
Fruit, honey, dates, juices and sugar-free milk can be added to a blender drink that is not far from liquid sugar. In general, try to mix no more than two sugar-containing items, even if those sugars are naturally occurring, such as fresh fruit. The truth is that fruit should provide almost all the sweetness you need. If you mix in yogurt or non-dairy milk, such as almond or soy, be sure to use the sweetened variety.
Health Benefits of Adding Spices to Smoothies
What’s the best way to drink a more delicious smoothie? Raid the spice drawer. Not only can spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and even a little cayenne take a smoothie from nail to wow, but they’re also an amazing source of concentrated antioxidants that can give your creamy drink even more touring power. Now how easy was that?
Berry Cheesecake Smoothie Recipe
This protein-packed drink not only tastes good enough to be sweet, it also meets our guidelines for making an optional smoothie.
- 3/4 cup milk of choice
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla or plain protein powder
- 1 tablespoon of almond oil
- 1 spoon of maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon of lemon peel
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder
- 3/4 cup frozen blueberries or blackberries
Place all ingredients in a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth.
