Smoothies are a great way to consume micronutrients. Especially for those of us who don’t like vegetables or find it hard to snack on fruit, a smoothie can be an easy and tasty way to get the recommended amount of vitamins for a day.

Smoothie for athletes

For athletes, smoothies are a great way to cover micronutrient needs, too. They are also a great way to increase energy intake when needs are high. Important: when energy needs are high! With the right recipe athlete can consume high amounts of calories with one single smoothie. This brings them closer to the goal to finish the day in energy balance.

The downside of this: when we want the opposite, i.e. need to limit our energy intake to lose weight or prevent weight gain, the wrong smoothie recipe can make it hard to manage weight. Often, there is more in a smoothie than a couple of fruits or vegetables and water. We add so many ingredients to our smoothie which, eventually, will also increase the calories.

Let’s think about this. Imagine you’re making yourself a smoothie with the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup berries
  • 1 banana
  • 0.5 avocado
  • 2 cups milk
  • 0.5 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter

That makes 490 kcal (25 g fat, 50 g carbohydrates, 16 g protein). That’s what many would usually consume with a regular meal. And not just that; the recipe is high in fat also.

When we make a smoothie, it’s important to decide which recipe we are going to use. On some days it’s ok to have a nutrient and energy dense smoothie, but on other days we should stick to the simple, low calorie versions. On days when we don’t move much, why even make a smoothie? It’s better to eat a piece of raw fruit. Or would you eat all at once – an apple, a banana, 0.5 avocado and some nuts – if it wasn’t mixed into a smoothie?

  • 1 cup berries
  • 1 medium apple
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
248 kcal (4.6 g fat, 37.9 g carbohydrates, 6.5 g fibre, 10 g protein)
  • 1 cup berries
  • 1 medium banana
  • 1.5 tbsp honey
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2-3 walnuts (or 1 tsp nut butter)
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder

474 kcal (15 g fat, 69 g carbohydrates, 6.2 g fibre, 12 g protein)

Smoothies are great – when we choose the right recipe for the goal we’ve in mind.