To Smoothie or Not to Smoothie?
I love a good smoothie just as much as a meathead with his shaker bottle at the gym. BUT, there’s a time and place for them. I mean you don’t want to be caught with the berrylicious kind without ample dental floss – That’s not a good look. So, before you start slurping away, you’ve gotta discern when a smoothie supports or takes away from your goals.
Smoothies are for hot summer days, quick post-workout fuel, rushing to get to work, or “eating” discreetly in meetings. Nobody wants to hear you chomping on the phone or watch you scarf down a spinach feta wrap on Zoom. These are heaven for a superfood seeker.
Here are some ways you can filter your choice to have one:
The Upsides
- A good source of fuel in a rush, on the go, or multi-tasking. When you’re drying your hair, you can take sips in between sections.
- Post-workout you’ll get some protein and produce to support your blood sugar level and your recovery.
- If you don’t love fruits and veggies, they’re a tasty way to sneak some extra nutrients into your diet.
The Downsides
- Drinking your calories is less psychologically satisfying than chewing
- You are hungrier sooner because your blender does the dirty work of breaking up the ingredients. It’s like giving your body PTO, it gets paid without putting in the work.
- Mindful eating? Probably not. These babies are gone like a dog chasing after a squirrel.
After a morning workout and before taking a shower is my optimal time for a smoothie. My goal is to keep my energy up and help my body recover faster. I go with the equivalent of snack over a meal replacement. In calorie terms that’s about 150-250 for snack size vs 300 – 600 for a meal.
Here are my top two favorite smoothies:
PB&J Smoothie
- ¾ c frozen blueberries
- ⅔ c frozen strawberries
- 1 c of spinach
- 1¼ c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder OWYN
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (sub almond butter, cashew butter, any nut butter you love)
Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
- 1 frozen banana*
- 1 c of spinach
- 1¼ c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder OWYN
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (sub almond butter, cashew butter, any nut butter you love)
*Peel and break up the banana into pieces and leave in the freezer overnight
PRO TIP: Use frozen fruit so you don’t need ice. For a meal replacement add density with something like rolled oats.
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