Your Guide to Making the Best Weight Loss Smoothies

A new year comes with new resolutions, and if lockdown and the festive season has really done a number on your diet plan, weight loss and healthy eating may be some of those resolutions you’re committing to! 

A weight loss plan doesn’t have to be boring. It’s a balanced diet rich in protein, fruit and vegetables that helps you to lose weight, in controlled portion sizes. Protein shakes and meal replacements are a great way to cut carbs out of your diet and give you valuable nutrients, minerals, and protein to help you eat less throughout the day.

Here are some tips and tricks for making the perfect weight loss smoothies.

Best Fruit for Weight loss Protein Smoothies ​

The best thing about smoothies is you can really use any fruit of your choice to make the perfect smoothie, with some combinations tasting better than others. Even certain types of vegetables have their place in smoothies and can be combined with fruit to create smoothies that really pack a punch. 

We recommend that you freeze your ingredients first before preparing your smoothies to avoid needing to add ice when you blend. Some of the best fruits we can recommend for weight loss smoothies include:

• Bananas
• Mangoes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Pineapple
• Melon​

​Vegetables and other non-fruits that work well in smoothies include:

• Spinach
• Avocado
• Kale
• Cucumber

Often you’ll want to add some kind of liquid to your smoothies to thicken or thin them out. It really comes down to preference and can include more than one type, but you can add water, yoghurt, almond milk, lemon juice, milk, or any kind of fruit juice to your smoothies. 

You can sweeten your smoothies with natural sweeteners to avoid sugar or artificial sweeteners. Some honey or maple syrup goes a long way to sweetening things up.

Adding Protein to Your Smoothies ​

Protein goes a long way to keeping you fuller for longer throughout the day, helping you eat less and supporting your exercise routine (dieting and exercising come hand in hand for weight loss). Protein can be added to your smoothies with protein powders, which can come in a variety of flavours and with an array of vitamins and minerals added to them. 

We recommend finding minimally processed protein powders with no added sweeteners or sugars. You’re already going to get a lot of sweetness from your fruits and natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. Non-flavoured protein powders also blend better with your smoothies and don’t add any artificial flavours that will clash with your ingredients. 

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There are different types of protein powders you can add to your smoothies, including:

Pea Protein: Made from ground yellow split peas, pea proteins are rich in essential amino acids and iron, but low in methionine. It’s known to help build muscle mass when you resistance train and helps make you feel fuller. 

Whey protein: One of the most popular protein powders, it’s great for helping you lose body fat and gain muscle while increasing your strength. This protein is isolated from whey, which is found in milk. It’s also known to digest quickly.

Egg protein: Made from the protein from egg whites, it’s similar to whey protein with its high amounts of leucine. This makes it great for increasing your muscle strength.

Casein protein: Just like whey protein, casein protein comes from milk. It’s known to increase your body composition when you resistance train. It’s digested and absorbed at a slower rate than whey protein, but it exposes your muscles to more amino acids. 

There are alternative ingredients you can add to your smoothie to add protein to it without using protein powders. Use these ingredients to add protein to your drinks.

• Plain Greek yoghurt
• Cottage cheese
• Unsweetened kefir
• Unsweetened soy milk
• Nut butter, such as almond or peanut butter
• Flax seeds
• Chia seeds
• Egg whites
• Oatmeal

Storage Tips for Your Smoothies

It’s possible to make your smoothies the night before to prepare them ahead of time. If you do, however, take some of these tips into account.

• If you’re preparing tomorrows smoothies and you want to add bananas, add the bananas the next day. While the banana will still taste the same the next day, it will turn your smoothie brown and make it less appetizing.
• If your smoothie contains whey protein or casein protein, be sure to store it in a glass container, as plastic can absorb the smell of your smoothie.
• Be sure to store your smoothie away in an airtight container as soon as it’s made. Protein fruit-based smoothies can last up to 24 hours in the fridge, but we recommend you add some more blended frozen fruit before you drink it to boost the flavour.

With these tips, tricks and guides, you can make practically any kind of weight loss smoothie out of your favourite combination of fruits and proteins. And to add an extra punch, combine your fruit with a green vegetable for those all-important nutrients.

With Raw Nutrition, you can keep your supply of fruit and vegetables stocked consistently, with no trips to the shops required. Buying fruit and vegetables online and having them delivered right to your door is fast and hassle-free, making it all the easier to eat healthily. Be sure to check out our range of fresh produce and groceries to plan out your next delicious smoothies.

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