Smoothies have been rising in popularity in the last few years. People are starting to add them to their diets and you see it, particularly among healthy people i.e people who look after their diet and exercise regularly.
It’s common to see a sports person have a smoothie before a workout, but also after a workout.
It’s also common to see smoothies being recommended to people who are on a weight loss journey.
Are smoothies that flexible? Can you really add them to your diet regardless of your health goals?
Yes. Smoothies are the secret weapon for an energetic life.
Let’s tackle the benefits of smoothies for each health goal: Weight loss, longevity, and sports.
smoothies for weight loss
If you want to lose weight you might be considering adding smoothies to your diet, but what should you put in them? Smoothies can be your best friend but they can also be your biggest enemy for weight loss goals.
You must approach is strategically.
People who work with me have very specific ingredients they put on their smoothies. The calories are counted and you don’t need to worry about counting the calories every time because as long as you put the same amount of food in each smoothie, the number of total calories will always be the same!
You can make a smoothie that is 1000kcals but you can also make a smoothie that is only 400 kcals. It’s all about what and how much of each food you add!
For example, I personally drink a daily smoothie of about 700kcals, because I add a lot of calorie-rich foods.
That’s a lot of calories for a smoothie!
Don’t get tricked into thinking “oh this is just a smoothie so it can’t have that many calories.” That’s a beginner’s mistake.
Do this: Choose 3/4 ingredients you’d like to add to your smoothie and play with the amounts on a nutrition app like Cronometer or MyFitnessPal.
That way you become conscious of how many calories are in that smoothie and you are comfortable drinking it.
smoothies for longevity
This is where things can get really interesting for me. Here we are talking about superfoods and increasing your lifespan.
For example, a boring smoothie would be something like soy milk, banana, and a pear.
I mean, you can do much better than that! Those ingredients are good for you but you’re not taking advantage of the best foods on this planet.
Smoothies are a great opportunity to give your body key nutrients. So this is what I would do instead:
- Soy milk
- Bananas
- Berries
- Kiwis
- Cinnamon
- Nuts
- Seeds
Now we are talking. This is what I call a super smoothie.
Try to package the most antioxidant rich foods and polyphenol rich foods you can so your body can repair and be energised!
smoothies to improve Athletic performance
If you are a sports person you might be wondering, how can smoothies possibly benefit me?
My answer is: The only way smoothies can NOT benefit you is if you make terrible smoothies. Let me explain.
Do you agree that anyone would benefit from eating more veggies, fruit, and whole foods?
Those are exactly the foods you should be adding to your smoothies.
And because you are a sportsperson, you can use them to improve your performance. Here are a few key foods:
- Beetroot
- Spinach
- Oats
These 3 foods are your best friends when it comes to sports performance.
There are a few studies suggesting that people who eat these foods regularly, particularly a few days prior to a sports event, perform better than those who don’t. Performing better, in this case, means that you increase your endurance and strength, thus, putting the odds in your favour.
Our body is essentially a machine and needs fuel to perform at its best. If you give it the right fuel, it will be able to push extra hard.
Wrap up
Smoothies are a great option to add to your diet, regardless of your health goals.
However, the way you prepare your smoothies i.e. the ingredients you add, will vary depending on what you want to achieve.
If you want weight loss focus on low-calorie foods.
If you want longevity focus on foods known to increase your lifespan.
If you want sports performance you can add foods that boost your body’s ability to perform.
It’s all about how you make them.
Best wishes,
Martim
