Even though many people reach directly for the smoothies these days when they are trying to be healthy, what many people dont realise is that shop-bought smoothies are often packed with fat and sugar. So to be really healthy the best thing to do is to make your own at home using either a purpose-made smoothie maker, blender or juicer. Have a look online at smoothie maker reviews if you are looking to buy a smoothie maker.
If you make smoothies correctly they can give you a boost of energy and nutrition. The benefits you see will be even better if you also make sure that you try and reduce the fat or calories from processed sugars in your smoothies. Here are my top guidelines to assist you to do just that:
1. Instead of using semi-skimmed milk, try using skimmed milk. If this is a bit too diluted for you, try using a soy substitute.
2. If you like to add ice-cream to your smoothies, try using frozen yoghurt or sorbet as an alternative. You can also try buying low-fat ice-creams such as Skinny Cow or Weight Watchers.
3. If you are using smoothies as a food replacement, try adding some protein powder – this will fill you up and will also lower the amount of yoghurt or ice-cream you might usually include to thicken the smoothie.
4. Use only fresh-fruit, don’t use tinned fruit as this by and large has sugar added into the syrup or juice it is stored in.
5. If you have a sweet tooth try adding honey to sweeten your smoothies instead of syrup or white sugar.
6. For smoothies which have yoghurt included in the recipe, always make sure that you make use of low-fat yoghurt instead of high-fat versions such as Greek yoghurt.