How To Make A Yummy Slimming Green Smoothie

I bet you’ve noticed that green smoothies are a thing, and the truth is they can be an amazing weight loss tool. However, if you don’t make your smoothie the right way, you’ll end up drinking a sugar and calorie bomb. If you’ve been meaning to give green smoothies a try, check out these helpful tips.

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Ok, let me be honest with you. A green smoothie is not going to burn fat off your body like a magic potion. But green smoothies are a thing for a reason – they can be really slimming! By substituting processed, sugary snacks with a nutritious veggie smoothie, you’ll be doing your body a huge favor. And you’ll also be able to shed extra pounds in the process. 

I can tell you from personal experience that green smoothies have been a powerful tool in my weight loss journey. They’re an essential part of my healthy diet and they keep me away from the junk. But before you start throwing fruit and veggies into your blender, take a look at these tips that I’ve learned after a three-year health and fitness journey.

How To Make A Yummy Slimming Green Smoothie

1. Watch your ingredients

Green smoothies need ingredients that contain fiber, protein, and good fats. These will keep bloating, sugar lows, and hunger pangs at bay. That means you won’t feel like snacking every 5 minutes and you’ll keep cravings under control. See how nutritious food can help you with weight loss?

2. You can substitute a meal

Skipping meals isn’t going to make you slimmer at all, quite the opposite. That’s where smoothies come in. If you’re always in a rush during the mornings, you can just whip up a smoothie and that way you won’t skip breakfast. I’ve found that eating at regular hours helps with weight loss because it keeps you from snacking on anything you can get your hands on.

3. Add veggies

A green smoothie’s biggest benefit is that it lets you get more veggies in. The simple truth is that you have to eat more veggies if you want to slim down. And it’s very likely you’re not eating nearly enough greens! Remember what I said about fiber-rich foods? By having a smoothie, you can have two whole portions of produce in a glass. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Veggie options:

• spinach
• kale
• romaine
• swiss chard
• cucumber
• celery
• collard greens
• cilantro
• parsley
• beet greens
• arugula
• bok choi
• dandelion greens

Always use fresh greens!

4. Add a little fruit

Fruit is going to sweeten your green smoothie, and it’s also rich in fiber. You can add almost any kind of fruit you like, but be careful not to add too much of it. A single piece of fruit, or half a cup of chopped fruit, is enough to sweeten your drink. I’ve noticed that if I add more fruit, I get hunger pangs and sugar lows after a short while.

Fruit options

• banana
• pear
• apple
• strawberries
• papaya
• watermelon
• kiwi
• pineapple
• mango
• blueberries
• grapes
• peach
• raspberries
• cranberries

Don’t even think about using canned fruit!

5. Add protein

Protein will keep you from getting hungry and it’ll also help you recover from your workout sessions. Green protein smoothies have helped me lose weight because they keep me from overeating after doing exercise. Do you ever feel like snacking after exercising? Have a post-workout smoothie.

You can add a scoop of protein powder or one of these protein-rich ingredients.

Protein options

• milk
• greek yogurt
• unsweetened plain yogurt
• cottage cheese
• hemp seeds
• chia seeds
• nut butter
• flaxseed
• tofu
• oatmeal
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• quinoa

6. Add good fats

Good fats will give you energy and also help keep hunger at bay. This is extremely important if you’re having a smoothie for breakfast. Good fats really will help you stay away from the snacks, and they add a nice, creamy touch to a smoothie.

Good fats options

• avocado
• nut butter
• flaxseed
• pumpkin or sunflower seeds
• nuts
• quinoa
• oatmeal
• hemp seeds
• cottage cheese
• chia seeds
• yogurt

7. Don’t make it sweet

Fruit is enough to sweeten a green smoothie. You really don’t need to add sugar calories. I’ve seen smoothie recipes that include honey, stevia, or agave syrup, but I truly believe this isn’t necessary at all. You see, when I stopped eating sugar, I realized my sense of taste was completely off. After a while, my taste buds realized fruit was sweet enough, and sugar was totally unnecessary. If you really feel like you need to add a sweetener, then you need to quit eating sugar too. You’ll get used to it, trust me. And your body will thank you for it!

8. Add a liquid

You need to add a liquid ingredient so the smoothie doesn’t come out too thick. Just make sure the liquid doesn’t add too much sugar or calories to your drink. You could even experiment with mixing up two kinds of liquids. The only thing I avoid is fruit juice because there’s too much sugar in it. Personally, I’ve found fruit juice gives me sugar highs and lows, which in turn give me hunger pangs and cravings. Be careful with fruit juice!

Liquid options

• water
• ice chips
• green tea
• milk
• almond milk
• coconut milk
• coconut water

9. Add a special touch

There’s a way to add a special touch to your green smoothie without adding sweeteners. Don’t be afraid to experiment with spices and flavors! My personal favorite is vanilla. My special tip is not to use vanilla-flavored milk but add the vanilla separately. It tastes so much brighter!

Special options

• cinnamon
• ginger
• nutmeg
• vanilla
• turmeric
• mint
• cilantro

10. Watch your portions

All the ingredients in a green smoothie are healthy and nutritious, but you still have to watch your portions. Otherwise, you’ll end up drinking way too many calories, which is not going to help with weight loss. Don’t eyeball it! Measure out every ingredient you add.

Smoothie portions

• 3/4 – 1 cup of liquid
• 1 or 2 handfuls of greens
• 1 piece or 1/2 cup of fruit
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of healthy fats
• a dash of your special touch

11. Blend in this order

Feel like you’re ready to start blending? Wait! You need to make sure you blend all the ingredients well. It’s called a “smoothie”, not a “lumpy”. This is the order that works best for me, and I always blend everything for about a minute.

Add ingredients in this order

1. liquid
2. greens, nuts or seeds
3. fruit and creamy ingredients

12. Drink it right away

Nice blending! Now, you’d better drink your smoothie right away. Don’t save it for later! After about 15 minutes, the ingredients begin to separate and the smoothie’s appearance and taste might change. Not  yummy! Just blend it, then drink it.

Smoothie Options

Try and experiment these smoothie combinations!

• Papaya + cucumber + spinach + coconut milk or water + yogurt

• Spinach or kale + pineapple + nut butter + greek yogurt + ice

• Spinach + banana + avocado + almond or coconut milk + flaxseed

• Cucumber + watermelon + coconut milk or water + yogurt + chia seeds

• Spinach or kale + strawberries + almond or coconut milk + greek yogurt 

Do you have a favorite smoothie combination? Share in the comments!