Annoyed at the calories!!!

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SummerNights32
SummerNights32 Posts: 86 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I found a recipe for a kale smoothie that looked pretty good. The recipe came from a website dedicated to healthy meals, so I figured it was probably a lower calorie meal.

1 banana
1 mango
1 cup of almond coconut milk
1 cup of kale
5oz of greek yogurt-honey

Anyhow, I start drinking my smoothie and come on to my fitnesspal to track the calories. I create the recipe, and it is nearly 500 calories!!!!

Ive made some adjustments for tomorrow that will lower the calories, but I am still annoyed. That is a bit excessive if you ask my opinion.

Replies

  • Mishinmite
    Mishinmite Posts: 43 Member
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    Is that just one smoothie? Sounds like a lot.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    You know what happens when you assume.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    wow,,,,, crazy.
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    But it is a meal, from what you have said. So it would be about 5 - 800kcals.

    Sometimes you can't win for trying, can you :)

    I think I will make myself a note for any new recipe - mfp it first!


    Oh... did it taste nice?
  • Roxanne_Hennessy
    Roxanne_Hennessy Posts: 130 Member
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    Its a smoothie meant to replace a meal
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
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    I'd be tweaking that recipe like a mofo.

    I'd use UNSWEETENED Almond Milk
    Plain Greek yogurt
    1/2 banana
    1/2 mango

    or just pick one fruit.

    Probably use a little protein powder (yes it has calories) but I would rather have more protein in a smoothie than carbs (too much fruit)
  • TheGr8Kimbini
    TheGr8Kimbini Posts: 92
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    Its a smoothie meant to replace a meal

    What she said.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,871 Member
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    ..............The recipe came from a website dedicated to healthy meals, so I figured it was probably a lower calorie meal..................

    Here's a problem...caloric density is in no way indicative of nutrition or whether something is healthy or not. There are any number of caloric dense foods that are extremely good for you and loaded with nutrition....

    pretty much all of those ingredients except the kale are pretty nutrient dense...lots of sugar in the banana and mango = calorie dense...and you healthy fats in the coconut milk...also calorie dense. Then the greek yogurt...I'm assuming full fat (not a problem but fat = calories) and honey on top of that...I'm a little surprised that this is such a shocker.

    Also...sounds like a good meal replacement on the go...
  • ctinawilson
    ctinawilson Posts: 127 Member
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    It may be high in calories but look at all the goodness... calories aren't a bad thing. Using up your calories by eating trans fats and excessive sugar... yep, bad. But drinking something like this that is FULL of goodness, that's a great way to eat calories.

    I think, if this is a meal replacement, then its bang on!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    Seems to me that this is a meal replacement shake, in which case the calorie count is appropriate.
  • nikamar
    nikamar Posts: 83 Member
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    Only mango and banana together have over 300 calories.

    It's a good meal- calorie dense but still healthy. Problem arises when people don't treat it as a separate meal but pretend it's a healthy dessert and eat it after a full meal.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    Surprised, really? Fruit is fairly calorically dense, a cup of almond "milk" (nut juice) is ~90-100 calories & 5 oz of greek yogurt is ~100 calories. I see that recipe and see easily 500 calories.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    Eh.

    My protein smoothies that I make post-workout and for breakfast are 400+ calories.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    ..............The recipe came from a website dedicated to healthy meals, so I figured it was probably a lower calorie meal..................

    Here's a problem...caloric density is in no way indicative of nutrition or whether something is healthy or not. There are any number of caloric dense foods that are extremely good for you and loaded with nutrition....

    pretty much all of those ingredients except the kale are pretty nutrient dense...lots of sugar in the banana and mango = calorie dense...and you healthy fats in the coconut milk...also calorie dense. Then the greek yogurt...I'm assuming full fat (not a problem but fat = calories) and honey on top of that...I'm a little surprised that this is such a shocker.

    Also...sounds like a good meal replacement on the go...

    This to the bolded part. I don't know if the kale part was a typo, but I always thought kale was very nutrient dense.

    This would be a good meal for me on high cardio days. I'd like a little more protein though.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    I agree it's excessive. Not from a calorie perspective (500 cals for a shake is meh), but 4 of 5 ingredients are sweeteners. Can use any two of the sweeteners and still get a sweet shake.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Its a smoothie meant to replace a meal

    ^^ This

    Five hundred calories per meal @ three meals a day is only 1500 calories, so there's still room for snacks/desserts.
  • tmpecus78
    tmpecus78 Posts: 1,206 Member
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    remove the banana to cut back on calories and sugar.
  • SummerNights32
    SummerNights32 Posts: 86 Member
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    I only managed about half of the shake...it was way too much, even for a meal replacement.

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