Is the sabotage shake ruining your diet? Avoid These 4 Biggest Pitfalls

Fruit smoothies are often advertised as a great healthy way to lose weight or to supplement your diet with a nutritious drink. However, if you’re not on the lookout for shake sabotage, these fruity drinks can do more harm than good. Fortunately, if you learn the proper way to mix with this article, smoothies can still be an easy, tasty AND healthy option for any meal of the day.

Milkshake Mistake #1

The blender is NOT a calorie eliminator:

The biggest mistake people make with shakes is forgetting how many calories they can be. Just because the ingredients are a drinkable puree doesn’t mean all the calories from the original fruits aren’t still there. Would you eat a slice of watermelon, a banana and a half, an orange, and a handful of strawberries in one sitting? Probably not… but with a shake many people eat just as much and more. (And then wonder why your calorie count is off for the day)

let’s figure it out

Often people drink a shake and eat something else, like half a bagel, sandwich, or some kind of snack, because the shake alone doesn’t satisfy hunger. Others drink a shake and eat something soon after. Being liquid, it doesn’t stay in the stomach as long as a solid food. To solve the problem, you need protein and fiber. Both healthy elements contribute a lot to the feeling of “satisfaction”. However, you should make sure you get fruit peels (apple, pear, peach, etc.) for fiber, but not many fruits have protein.

The solution?

Everything is wrapped in tiny seeds. Chia seeds don’t add flavor to the smoothie (they don’t taste like anything), but they DO add complete protein (like you find in meat) and 2 types of fiber (soluble and insoluble) to help you feel full longer . The more you add, the greater its effect, so you can stay satisfied until lunch. The body does not break down the chia fiber. It doesn’t add calories, but it helps move food smoothly through the digestive system AND feeds beneficial bacteria (probiotics).

Smoothie mistake #2

Too much sugar:

When reviewing smoothie recipes or a smoothie menu, first check for added sugar or sweet ingredients. Things like high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, and even sweetened yogurts can sabotage your health plans with a sugar overload. Fruits also contain natural sugars (which is fine), but you should balance them out with a veggie or two, so you can avoid a “sugar crash” later. Sugars and sweet fruits may be fat-free, but they add calories that don’t do much for your health.

let’s figure it out

First of all, always reject a smoothie with any type of added sugars. You don’t need them for great taste, if you know which fruits to mix and match. Next, add some vegetables. Don’t be afraid to throw a handful of spinach into a fruit smoothie. Its flavor is easy to eliminate with a sweet fruit (like a banana) and a strong fruit (like a strawberry, pineapple, kiwi or raspberry) By mixing “sweet” and “strong” you can choose a vegetable and then eliminate its flavor so that all you get is that great fruit flavor you love. Cucumber is also good as it is soft. When combined with fruit, usually only the ‘fresh’ component is tasted. If you’re using a powerhouse fruit like pineapple, you can also add some kale and let the fruit do its flavor-fighting job.

Use fiber to slow the digestion of sugars. Since fiber cannot be digested, it interferes with and slows down the conversion of carbohydrates to sugars. This is great, because it helps prevent insulin from spiking (this causes the ‘sugar crash’) and helps your body digest the shake at an even rate that is more likely to keep you feeling full longer. Spinach, kale, and chia seeds are easy ways to add lots of fiber to any smoothie.

Smoothie mistake #3

Budget-busting shakes:

Indulging in a healthy treat shouldn’t break the bank. Store-bought shakes can be expensive, and if you’ve found that some of them have additives you don’t want, it’s time to find a way to mix for less.

let’s figure it out

Making your own smoothies at home is incredibly quick and easy when you follow these tips, plus you’ll also save money. First, frozen fruit is always in season. Unlike canning, freezing preserves the fruit without heat, so those healthy compounds and enzymes aren’t broken down in flash freezing. Bags of frozen fruits like mango, cantaloupe, raspberries, and more almost always cost less than their fresh counterparts. Enjoy out-of-season fruit all year long by hitting the freezer aisle. Take the next step and freeze your own fruit while it’s in season, like buying bags of blueberries (only available in the fall), kiwis (a summer treat not often in the freezer aisle), or your favorite in-season grape. You can also peel the bananas, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them for a creamy smoothie without worrying about those pesky blemishes.

Time tip!

For a morning smoothie in a snap, fill the blender jar with a handful of vegetables, your favorite fruits and a splash of non-dairy milk. Then she puts it in the fridge. In the morning, simply mix and go, it’s ready to drink in less than 30 seconds. That eliminates all excuses for skipping breakfast.

Pre-cut frozen fruit, pre-filled blender jars, an easy scoop of chia, and simple baggies of greens mean drinking healthy has never been quicker and easier. Mixing at home means you’re not paying a premium to have someone whip up something you could make in minutes. If you need a sweeter shake, you can sprinkle in some stevia powder before blending. This sweet herb is much sweeter than sugar (to taste) but does not affect insulin levels. Unlike artificial chemical sweeteners, stevia will not make you hungrier. Customize the sweetness level with inexpensive stevia so even the sweet tooth kids can enjoy fruits and vegetables every day.

Smoothie mistake #4

It’s time to ditch the (unfermented) dairy. Keep cow’s milk out of your shakes. Alkaline foods fight inflammation and cow’s milk is an acid-forming food. Aren’t oranges and lemons also sour? They start out acidic, but as they are digested, they become alkaline. Dairy has no such advantage. Vegetable calcium (such as in spinach, chia, and kale) is also easier for the body to absorb. If you opt for protein, you can use probiotic-infused Greek yogurt or unsweetened fermented kefir. (or even a scoop of vegetarian protein powder)

let’s figure it out

Use milk alternatives like rice milk, almond milk, cashew or soy. (men should skip the soy milk as it has plant estrogens) If you want a creamy taste, add banana or frozen banana. You can also use Greek yogurt with probiotics and kefir. If you want calcium, it’s important to have other minerals, such as magnesium and boron, a trace mineral. Consuming these minerals together greatly increases your absorbability. Fortunately, chia seed packs all 3 into 1 small packet. It also has the omega-3 oils you need to absorb the fat-soluble vitamin A from the spinach or kale.

With these shake solutions, you can add great taste and great nutrition to your menu.

The flavor combinations are endless, and by using the prep time tips there is no excuse to skip fruits and vegetables. Think how much better you’d feel if you ate a whole vegetable salad…before someone else had a vegetable. Feel satisfied for hours with the fiber in the chia seed and know that you will never fall victim to shake sabotage with this great information.