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With the weather warming up and summer right around the corner, I’m craving smoothies again! They’re so refreshing, and the easiest way to sneak in produce! 

I personally love smoothies, but I always get questions from clients about if they’re actually healthy, and what to put in them. Is there too much sugar? Do I need protein? How much fruit can I add? What else can I add?

The key to a great smoothie is finding a way to make them balanced to keep you full longer and satisfy your cravings. The four main pillars to making a balanced smoothie include:

• Carbohydrates: oats, chickpeas/legumes, fruits
• Protein: greek yogurt, cottage cheese, cow’s milk, soymilk, egg white, protein powder, hemp seeds, tofu 
• Healthy Fat: almond or peanut butter, avocado, chia seeds
• Veggies: cauliflower rice, zucchini, spinach, kale, beets, carrots etc – the list goes on! 

And I know right now you’re looking at this blog post thinking I could be crazy. I’m recommending that you put things like chickpeas, tofu, and zucchini in your smoothies – but hang on! 

I know it sounds wrong, I know. But I swear the way I combine these foods you REALLY can’t tell that these foods are in your smoothie. 

I also do think it’s essential to have all of these components in your smoothie, especially if you plan to use it as a breakfast / full meal. If you don’t – you’re probably going to notice you get hungry pretty quickly! Picking high fiber ingredients like chickpeas, chia seeds, or raspberries will slow down your digestion, and will help with stabilizing your blood sugar. 

Adding enough protein will help you stay fuller for longer and can be helpful for maintaining a healthy metabolism! Healthy fats like nut butters and hemp seeds can also help with stabilizing your blood sugar, and feeling satiated. 

Portion recommendations if you’re using a smoothie for breakfast: 

• 20-30+ g Protein (from combined proteins) – you may need more 
• About 1 cup of fruit (or a combination of oats or chickpeas + fruit) 
• At least some additional fat, maybe 1-3 tbsp nut butter, or ¼-½ avocado or if you’re using a full fat greek yogurt maybe you don’t need extra fat! 
• If you’re willing to try sneaking veggies in – I highly recommend doing so – about ½-1 c is what I will typically recommend. 

And if you’re someone with a sensitive stomach like me – it can be helpful to add something to the top of your smoothie that has texture, like the cacao nibs or granola, because it will cause you to slightly chew the smoothie, and may cause you to eat the smoothie a bit slower. The process of chewing will help trigger your body to secrete additional enzymes to help you digest your food! And reduce bloating! 

Extra Smoothie-making Tips for Summer:

• Use seasonal fruit and vegetables when you can – they’re likely cheaper! Frozen is also just as good as fresh – so buying frozen is great too. 
• This sounds so common – sense, but please peel and chop your bananas before freezing them. I’ve instructed my husband to freeze bananas for me and somehow whole bananas with skins have been frozen! 
• Use coconut water for extra minerals and electrolytes. Or add a little salt. Stay hydrated friends! It’s hot out there!