Replacing a meal with a smoothie

HeatherR8888
HeatherR8888 Posts: 1
in Food and Nutrition
I really enjoy making fruit smoothies as a meal replacement. I have not entered this into my meal log, but am well aware this is probably full of sugar calories etc. However I feel that I know this is good for me...

This is what it consists of : 4-6 oz of fluid- either water or O.J; 4oz greek gods honey yogurt; 1 banana; 2 cups spinach; 1/2 carrot; 1 cup of either frozen mango or blueberries or strawberries and the last ingredient is 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds (when I have them).

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Yes - it sounds like a meal, and if you like it, you should enjoy it and log it.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    If it fits into your calorie and nutrition goals and doesn't cause you any ill effects, then I don't see a problem with it. Why don't you try logging it or entering it into the recipe builder to find out if it does fit into your calorie and nutrition goals?
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Well that's at least 300 calories (probably more) so if you want to know how much you're eating you need to log it.
  • bethanyboomstick
    bethanyboomstick Posts: 52 Member
    Log the ingredients individually. It sounds like a meal to me.
  • jfboomer
    jfboomer Posts: 79 Member
    With a quick calculation using OJ and chia, that comes to close to 500 cals. Enjoy it, but LOG it.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    I replace a meal with a smoothie sometimes, usually when I'm not in the humour to sit down and have a meal. Just this evening I had a smoothie with full fat probiotic yoghurt, berries, banana, nut butter (peanut), some coconut oil, seeds (chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin), nuts (almonds, brazils & walnuts). All in all, just a little shy of 800 calories and packed full of nutritious stuff, so I never worry about getting a meals worth of nutrients from it, even if I had to scale back some of the ingredients to bring it back to 500/ 600 calories.

    Only thing I can see its short on is protein, as it comes in at about 25g, but am sure that could easily be solved with scoop of protein powder by anyone who was so inclined. As things stand, it suits me to leave things as they are, as I hit my protein with my other meals.

    I say as long as you're getting enough good nutrition, and a balance of fat, protein and carbs that suit your diet, go for it. To me 300 calories seems a little low, and would probably use something like that as no more of a replacement than for a light breakfast.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    That's probably closer to 500 cals actually, but plenty of good fats and fiber so will tide you over for a bit. You could try taking out some of the fruit, and using a protein powder to up the protein content a bit. But it sounds delicious as is. Definitely make sure you log it though! 500 cals is a lot to not log on a given day and will quickly add up over time!
  • jenready
    jenready Posts: 2,658 Member
    Like others have said, log it and make it fit into your macros. I am not a big breakfast eater so lately I have been making a smoothie in the morning. The two I have been rotating for the past couple of weeks are; 1 banana, handful of strawberries, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 tsp fiber powder or 1 banana, 2 tbsp pb2, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 tsp fiber powder. These usually keep me full until lunch and I make them fit into my macros so it's a win win meal.
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
    I do one smoothie a day, some carrot juice, naked green machine, scoop of protein powder, banana, pineapple, strawberries, mixed berries and some ice. Comes in at 500 calories and while delicious it's not "filling" like a real meal would be but when you have the calories to burn it sure is tasty.
  • mathmatt
    mathmatt Posts: 58 Member
    I did that for 2 weeks about a month ago but I replaced every meal with a smoothie. Since then I've done 1-2 meals a day with a smoothie instead of solid food. I love it and it's not as many calories as you would think. Mine have typically been between 300 and 600 calories which, for a meal, isn't pretty good.
  • bohemian124
    bohemian124 Posts: 152 Member
    If you eat it regularly, enter it as a recipe and then it is easy to log. I do that with my favorite smoothie recipe (literally written down as "Favorite Smoothie").
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Log the ingredients individually. It sounds like a meal to me.

    This. I never get as much satisfaction out of drinking something in lieu of eating, but if it works for you (it certainly could!), enjoy.
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
    I drink a smoothie or protein shake for a meal almost daily.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    Smoothies are BAD as a meal replacement...GREAT for a pre or post workout snack... here's why...
    as a whole food... berries, bananas and anything else you can find to pulverize in a blender are great if you eat them individually... because it takes time to chew, swallow and digest... BUT when you slap it all in a blender and whip it into a smoothie... you have eliminated the work your body would normally do to extract the nutrients, the effect is a nutrition "rush" which iS great to fuel a workout.. or replenish you post-workout.. BUT as a meal replacement.. you'll find yourself hungry in an hour.. then what? time to binge?
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    I go on smoothie kicks every once in a while. I add protein powder to it. Usually mine are protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, frozen fruit and spinach. I just switch up the fruit. If I use a banana, I will add the Pb2. I would count it as a meal for sure. Lately I have just been lazy and shaking my protein powder into almond milk.
  • bfergusonii
    bfergusonii Posts: 208 Member
    I usually do a protein smoothie right after my workout in the morning. I then go take my shower and decided if I am still hungry afterward. If so, I might grab some greek yogurt or some oatmeal to finish things off in the morning.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    Smoothies are BAD as a meal replacement...GREAT for a pre or post workout snack... here's why...
    as a whole food... berries, bananas and anything else you can find to pulverize in a blender are great if you eat them individually... because it takes time to chew, swallow and digest... BUT when you slap it all in a blender and whip it into a smoothie... you have eliminated the work your body would normally do to extract the nutrients, the effect is a nutrition "rush" which iS great to fuel a workout.. or replenish you post-workout.. BUT as a meal replacement.. you'll find yourself hungry in an hour.. then what? time to binge?

    I agree with this when I don't add protein powder, but when I do, it keeps me full like any meal does.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    I usually do a protein smoothie right after my workout in the morning. I then go take my shower and decided if I am still hungry afterward. If so, I might grab some greek yogurt or some oatmeal to finish things off in the morning.

    I do the same thing except I put the oatmeal in my smoothie along with everything else. It saves time and saves me the trouble of finding out I'm hungry later. The smoothie usually holds me over until lunchtime.
  • katd1414
    katd1414 Posts: 1

    This is what it consists of : 4-6 oz of fluid- either water or O.J; 4oz greek gods honey yogurt; 1 banana; 2 cups spinach; 1/2 carrot; 1 cup of either frozen mango or blueberries or strawberries and the last ingredient is 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds (when I have them).

    To keep your smoothies lower in calories yet filling, consider adding: a protein powder (I like Whole Foods soy protein, 110 cals per scoop), spinach (fill up the blender!), and lower calorie fruits like strawberries or apples that are higher in fiber. Mix with water rather than milk or juice. Bananas are OK but starchy and higher in calories - I usually skip for these reasons. Add a bit of agave or honey if you want a sweeter taste as berries can be tart. I've been making smoothies as my breakfast for the last 3 years. They rock!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    I really enjoy making fruit smoothies as a meal replacement. I have not entered this into my meal log, but am well aware this is probably full of sugar calories etc. However I feel that I know this is good for me...

    This is what it consists of : 4-6 oz of fluid- either water or O.J; 4oz greek gods honey yogurt; 1 banana; 2 cups spinach; 1/2 carrot; 1 cup of either frozen mango or blueberries or strawberries and the last ingredient is 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds (when I have them).

    Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

    Log everything.
  • BEVERLYSTEEN
    BEVERLYSTEEN Posts: 106 Member
    I have a smoothie every morning, the alternative would be skipping that meal which to me is worse than having a smoothie.

    I add 1/2 cup of frozen berries(strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries) 1/2 of a frozen banana, 1 scoop of Whey protein, 1/2 cup of Dannon plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon of flax/chia seeds, and 1 cup of water and as much spinach that I decide to add which is usually a couple of hands full.

    Calorie count is usually between 280 - 350 depending on what fruit I am using, this keeps me completely satisfied until lunch.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I have a 64 g of protein smoothie for breakfast every morning..... Chocolate protein milk (26 g of p), one scoop chocolate protein powder (30 g of p), 100g of greek yogurt (8 g) plus frozen fruit.
  • squishycatmew
    squishycatmew Posts: 151 Member
    Sounds like breakfast to me.
  • RET68
    RET68 Posts: 88
    I have liver disease, so occasionally I'm supposed to do a day of only smoothies, and bone broth. I went through the calculations on this, and whoa, my 4 cups of smoothie were 1000 calories!! I had to exercise a ton, but I worked it in. Life is complex, if you're body needs it as mine does, you can make it work. :smile:
  • jjulliee
    jjulliee Posts: 40 Member
    Smoothies are BAD as a meal replacement...GREAT for a pre or post workout snack... here's why...
    as a whole food... berries, bananas and anything else you can find to pulverize in a blender are great if you eat them individually... because it takes time to chew, swallow and digest... BUT when you slap it all in a blender and whip it into a smoothie... you have eliminated the work your body would normally do to extract the nutrients, the effect is a nutrition "rush" which iS great to fuel a workout.. or replenish you post-workout.. BUT as a meal replacement.. you'll find yourself hungry in an hour.. then what? time to binge?

    I agree with this when I don't add protein powder, but when I do, it keeps me full like any meal does.

    I discovered green smoothies a couple months ago and love them. At first, I'd have one in addition to my meals, but I felt like I was starting to gain weight. Recently, I've been having one for breakfast 3-4 days per week. Mine typically consist of: 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 cups spinach or kale, 1 T of flax seeds or chia seeds, 1 banana, about a half cup of blueberries, and 1/2 avocado. If no almond milk, then plain, nonfat Greek yogurt.

    I'm a little bummed that you think this isn't good as a meal. My goal is to get a lot of nutrients in at once, and they were a nice change. Also trying to see if I notice a difference in how I feel and how my skin looks. Do you not like/approve them as a meal replacement simply because they're not filling, or do you feel/know that it's not really an effective way to get nutrients? I'd love to know, as I've been reading about all the health benefits. Thanks!
  • VCopple
    VCopple Posts: 56 Member
    One of my coworkers has a smoothie every morning before work and she loves it. She is able to stay full until lunch time (when she eats a salad with meat on top). She has lost close to 30 pounds now. I also enjoy making smoothies when I have time, but lately, microwaving an egg with some chopped up veggies is all I have time for in the mornings.
  • lilredred1956
    lilredred1956 Posts: 10 Member
    I cant do smoothies as a meal. I have to have the chewing sensation to help me from snacking. That works for me.
  • lolly715
    lolly715 Posts: 106
    I sometimes replace breakfast with a smoothie, I worked out the ingredients so it's around 300 calories (my breakfast target) with about the same macros as my protein and berries oatmeal.
    One of my coworkers has a smoothie every morning before work and she loves it. She is able to stay full until lunch time (when she eats a salad with meat on top). She has lost close to 30 pounds now. I also enjoy making smoothies when I have time, but lately, microwaving an egg with some chopped up veggies is all I have time for in the mornings.

    Funny, I usually do smoothies when I'm running short on time as I find it quicker than anything else. But I do have my fruit all pre-cut in the freezer, and have one of those bullet style blenders that blends directly into the serving cup. So it's just dump everything in, pulse until smooth, then out the door.

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