Replacing a meal with a smoothie

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  • BEVERLYSTEEN
    BEVERLYSTEEN Posts: 106 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Sounds like breakfast to me.
  • RET68
    RET68 Posts: 88
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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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