When made with the right blend of wholesome, detoxifying, and nutrient-dense ingredients, smoothies can be a great way to boost weight loss, and maintain a healthy weight.
And in this post we’re going to break down the best weight loss smoothie ingredients that you should be using.
Forget about counting calories or worrying about portions.
Most of the time that stuff doesn’t really work, and if it does, it’s hard to maintain the results!
This post is all about simplifying weight loss, by showing you what your body really needs in order to ignite your natural fat burning engines.
Let’s go!
Note: this post contains affiliate links and I earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you use them to make a purchase.
HEALTHY SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
To make a smoothie for weight loss, you need:
- A liquid base
- Fruits
- Greens
- Healthy fats
- Herbs
- Weight loss smoothie powder
1. Liquid Base
When it comes to your liquid base, you can use:
- Water.
- Coconut water.
- Green tea or herbal tea (such as red raspberry leaf, lemongrass, spearmint or peppermint tea).
- Nut milk (almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk and so on).
2. Fruits
Ripe fruits have an alkalizing effect on the body.
This simply means that ripe fruit helps the body maintain a healthy pH that protects you from chronic illness and promotes longevity (source).
Here are some fruit suggestions for your healthy weight loss smoothie:
- Bananas
- Mangoes
- Pineapples
- Papayas
- Peaches
- Berries
- Kiwi
3. Green (Leafy) Vegetables
Just like ripe fruits, greens also have an alkalizing effect on the body.
This, combined with their ability to support a healthy metabolism, makes greens one of the best ingredients for a fat burning smoothie.
The easiest green veggies to add to your smoothies are:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Cucumbers
4. Detoxifying Weight Loss Smoothie Powder
Smoothie powders provide one crucial benefit for weight loss: they support detoxification of toxins that disrupt your weight loss hormones.
So, we’re talking specifically about hormones like:
Insulin: if you have any insulin resistance, this increases your insulin levels. More insulin triggers the body to store more fat.
Cortisol: if you face any chemical, physical or emotional stress, then your adrenals produce more cortisol. High cortisol contributes to insulin resistance, and once again, this makes weight loss more difficult.
Estrogen: many of the food toxins we’re exposed to (such as pesticides and herbicides) are estrogen-based. This can contribute to estrogen dominance and lead to weight gain.
Leptin: this hormone is responsible for sending a signal to your brain when you’ve had enough to eat. Basically it tells your brain that it’s time to stop eating. Any toxins that disrupt leptin function can leave the door open to overeating.
In order to lose weight easily, these hormones need to be in balance.
And that means your smoothie should include detoxifying superfoods like spirulina, chlorella, beets and more.
The easiest way to get the benefits of these foods is with a high quality smoothie powder.
My hands-down favorite detox powder is this Green Juice powder from Organifi. It contains some of the best detoxifying ingredients you could dream of using, including chlorella, wheatgrass, spirulina, beets and much more!
I could go on for days about this powder, but I have a detailed review that already does that 🙂 Just read this post supplements for female hormonal imbalance to learn exactly why this is my go-to green powder.
5. Herbs and Spices
Adding herbs to your weight loss smoothie plan is a great way to add flavor while also supporting your natural weight loss hormones.
To get the most out of your weight loss smoothie, you need herbs that:
- reduce stress and cortisol.
- boost metabolism.
- regulate blood sugar.
- support gut, immune and hormone health.
Some herbs to consider are:
- Maca
- Matcha
- Beet root powder
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
6. Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are essential for balancing the hormones that affect weight gain.
So, adding healthy fats to your smoothie is another effective strategy for boosting your weight loss results.
Some healthy fats to use are:
- Raw seeds (ground flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds)
- Nut milks (almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk and so on)
- Peanut butter
- Almond butter
- Coconut oil or coconut butter
- Avocados
BEST WEIGHT LOSS SMOOTHIE RECIPES TO USE
Now that you know what to include in your smoothies, it’s time for some simple recipes that you can use!
First off, you can get recipes from the articles listed below:
- Beginner’s Guide to Making Green Smoothies
- How to Make a Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- How to Make a Green Smoothie Bowl
6 REASONS WHY SMOOTHIES ARE GOOD FOR WEIGHT LOSS
1. Tasty Way To Eat More Fruits and Veggies
According to a 2017 report, only 9 percent of adult Americans eat enough fruits and veggies every day.
That means 91% of us DON’T eat enough fruits and veggies on a daily basis!
Holy cow!!!
This is scary because our fat burning hormones rely on the nutrients that are in nutrient-dense food like fruits and veggies.
Without enough nutrients, the body becomes stressed (since it doesn’t have enough raw materials to do everything it needs to do).
Long-term, this stress leads to elevated levels of adrenal hormones like cortisol.
And the more cortisol is released, the greater the risk of excess weight gain and obesity.
In addition, over 60% of women are overweight or obese.
This is a strong reminder that we need to eat more nutrient-dense foods in order to lose weight easily.
Thankfully, drinking weight loss smoothies is a great way to get more nutrients and reduce nutrient deficiencies.
2. Easy Way To Add More Fiber To Your Diet
Because smoothies are usually packed with fruits, veggies and nuts, they are a great source of fiber!
When we eat enough healthy fiber the body is able to reduce cortisol and stabilize insulin.
This is huge because cortisol and insulin are two hormones that determine how easily we lose (or gain) weight.
Another benefit of eating more fiber is that it increases our metabolism.
So, with a faster metabolism you burn more calories…even while resting 🙂
3. Supports A Healthy Immune System
Your immune system doesn’t just fight off viruses, bacteria and other bad guys.
It also plays a role in weight loss.
That’s because your immune system affects gut health and hormone balance.
And it just so happens that a healthy gut and balanced hormones are essential for fast and easy weight loss.
So, when you drink a healthy smoothie, you are making it easier for your body to shed excess pounds.
4. Supports Gut Health
As I mentioned above, a healthy immune system makes it easier to lose weight.
Now, it turns out that approximately 70% to 80% of our immune system lies in the gut.
This means that gut health is necessary for two things:
- a healthy immune system.
- easy weight loss.
And this is where healthy smoothies for weight loss are beneficial!
You see, smoothies contain raw ingredients that heal the gut and restore balance to your gut bacteria.
And the more healthy gut bacteria you have, the easier it is for your body to regulate your weight loss hormones!
So, think of smoothies as a simple and tasty way to kickstart your weight loss engines!
5. Curbs Stubborn Cravings
Do you feel like you can’t control sugar cravings and other junk food cravings?
Well, that’s because your food cravings are actually influenced by the bacteria in your gut.
Here’s what I mean:
- The more junk food you eat, the more you populate the gut with bacteria that love junk food. And therefore, those bacteria drive you to eat more junk food.
- On the other hand, the more healthy food you eat, the more you populate the gut with bacteria that love healthy food! And therefore, those bacteria drive you to eat more healthy foods.
Funny how that works, right?!
The good news is, when you drink a healthy smoothie, you can start cultivating more health gut bacteria.
In the long-term, this will crush your cravings naturally. So, no need to use willpower or “fight” your cravings.
6. Detoxes The Body
We can’t talk about the benefits of drinking smoothies for weight loss without mentioning the fact that smoothies help to flush out waste.
The raw fruits and veggies used in smoothies are full of antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins and minerals that are essential for cleansing the body.
Therefore, weight loss smoothies provide gentle, everyday detoxing so that you can eliminate the junk that contributes to excess weight.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Is a banana smoothie good for weight loss?
Yes, a banana smoothie can help with weight loss, especially when combined with other fat-burning ingredients like berries, peaches, spinach or coconut water.
Use the links in the previous section to see smoothie recipes that use bananas.
Is having 2 smoothies a day bad?
As long as the smoothies are made with nutrient-dense, unrefined ingredients and the rest of your diet is well balanced, you can enjoy 2 smoothies a day.
What should I drink before bed to detox?
One of the best things to drink before bed is turmeric milk. It helps to reduce inflammation and cortisol, which improves the quality of your sleep.
And at the same time, turmeric milk also contains ingredients that support healthy detoxification.
This post on how to use turmeric and make turmeric milk has a recipe that you can use.
How can I lose tummy fat fast?
Fat that is concentrated around the tummy is a major indicator of a hormonal imbalance.
To get rid of tummy fat, it’s important to lower inflammation, increase your nutrient intake and support your body’s detox pathways.
You can get details on how to do all this in this article on weight gain caused by hormones.
CONCLUSION
Now that you know what it takes to make a healthy, weight-loss friendly smoothie, I hope you start incorporating them into your daily routine.
And if you need more ideas to support weight loss naturally, be sure to check out the list of related articles below.
Related Posts:
20 Easy Weight Loss Hacks You’ve Probably Never Heard Of (That You Might Be Ignorning)
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