Low carb green smoothies ?
brikachuu
Posts: 30 Member
I have a huge problem getting down my healthy greens so I've been looking into some fruit/veggie smoothies to help me get those in.. Does anyone have any good lowish carb recipes that are somewhat simple ? If they exist that is.. I know fruit is carb city ... Or any other advice is welcomed !
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Personally I have to add fruit to green smoothies otherwise they are beyond awful. I can eat the same greens in a salad just not liquified. It's best to get a sweet taste in there as much as possible. I was adding berries (lower carb) and some banana. The banana made it creamier and sweeter. But now that I'm doing LC I think I'd add just a smidge of heavy cream, berries and liquid stevia to make it more palatable. If you don't like it, you won't drink it so there's that.
Do you like pesto? I can eat a bucketful of that stuff and so maybe something like that would help. Basil is a green also right!
Have you tried kale chips?
You can possibly sneak some greens into a chocolate milk drink. Start out with a small amount and build up to adjust your taste.
Spirulina has a lot of chlorophyll. It comes in tablets or powder. You might try taking a handful of tablets on the days you don't get enough other greens.
One more thought! Sprouts are very nutritious-- some studies say 1000 to 10000 times more nutritious than the mature vegetable (example broccoli sprouts vs broccoli). I have a little kit to grow sprouts at home and it's really easy. I end up eating handfuls of sprouts right out of the tray because they are so fresh and yummy. So you might like sprouts a lot more than greens and you wouldn't need as many : )0 -
Thanks for that advice ! I've never tried kale but I was planning on adding kale and/or spinach to my smoothies. I wish I wasn't so picky (I blame my parents for not feeding me enough when I was young) haha I'll try anything I'm just looking for a good combo that is low carb and that won't make me want to gag (sorry but true haha)0
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I started a similar thread recently. One of my "hacks" is to add orang zipfizz powder to my fruit smoothies (along with ginger) to add more fruit flavor on days I don't add berries.
Zipfizz has potassium and vitamins with relatively few carbs.0 -
I started a similar thread recently. One of my "hacks" is to add orang zipfizz powder to my fruit smoothies (along with ginger) to add more fruit flavor on days I don't add berries.
Zipfizz has potassium and vitamins with relatively few carbs.0 -
ohhhhh you gotta try almond milk smoothies with protein powder and spinach…or kale (high in carbs at 7 p cup), for no carbs i've used Romaine lettuce…the BULKING effect to make a thick shake is what appeals to me..plus I loathe hot cooked spinach, so getting a cup or TWO of greens in a 3 cup shake is best for me.
I add lots of flavors, "chocolate raspberry" is a current favorite.. Warrior Force choc protein powder, raw cocoa, liquid flavors, frozen raspberries. and LOTS of stevia..yes sweeteners may add to the keeping of 'sweet' in the diet, but when our weight group dietitian made a smoothie with garlic, pineapple, veggies and water, with no sweet taste I simply could not drink it.( all the guys smiled and pretended it was great..the fools.)
I got some tangerine flavored hydrolyzed collage by accident, but make an Orange Creamsicle shake with vanilla protein powder, pure vanilla flavor, orange flavor, rasp or strawberries (1/4 c max), lots of spinach…and it's wonderful.
Also adding fine ground flaxseed, and ground hulled hemp seeds works.
I think someone invented KALE just to promote shakes. as I NEVER saw 3 lb pillowcase size SACKS of kale in the grocery before, have you?
In Summer, the great thing about using veggies this way is you can make a huge blender full, and just keep in the fridge…having a quick frosty shake takes the work out of getting nutrition without heading for carbs ( as in 'easy to grab').
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First of all, greens are over-rated. You don't actually need them, so don't feel bad if you don't get a lot of them. Kale, in particular is over-rated and spinach is comparable in nutrients, and Romaine is a close third.
That said, here's the smoothie recipe I used to do. I could add a fair bit of spinach without much change in flavor.
1c unsweetened almond milk
1/4c cream (canned coconut milk works, too, but coconut milk is more carby, so keep an eye on that)
~2tbsp natural nut butter (ie - nuts and maybe salt for ingredients; more or less optional, it's part of the flavor profile)
1tbsp cocoa powder
1-2 squares 80%+ dark chocolate (optional, but good for sweetness and extra chocolate flavor)
handful or two of fresh spinach (I used about a third to a half of the bunch my grocery store sells)
1 scoop protein powder (optional, but vanilla or chocolate adds some extra flavor and sweetness)
1tsp vanilla extract (optional, but adds a little sweet flavor)
1-2 tsp sweetener if still not sweet enough
This is supposed to be on the savory side and not as sweet as fruit-based smoothies. The goal is a sweetness level of a good, really dark chocolate, or just enough to take the bitter edge off the cocoa and greens.
I don't remember the exact stats off hand, and it will vary some depending on the exact combination used, but I recall it came in somewhere around 30g carb (total), 70g fat, 10g+ protein (depending on whether you include protein powder) 700-800 calories (yes, it's meant as a meal unto itself).0 -
Awesome. I'm gonna have to try some of these! And dragonwolf, you made me feel better saying it's not necessary lol my biggest problem though is not getting enough fiber in my diet. That's really why I wanted to up my green intake. I take fiber capsules but they don't seem to do much, plus I have to take a billion a day. Thanks for being so helpful, guys. I'm definitely going to use the advice !0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I started a similar thread recently. One of my "hacks" is to add orang zipfizz powder to my fruit smoothies (along with ginger) to add more fruit flavor on days I don't add berries.
Zipfizz has potassium and vitamins with relatively few carbs.
Where can I purchase it ?
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breenymarie wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I started a similar thread recently. One of my "hacks" is to add orang zipfizz powder to my fruit smoothies (along with ginger) to add more fruit flavor on days I don't add berries.
Zipfizz has potassium and vitamins with relatively few carbs.
Where can I purchase it ?
Costco or Amazon. Various health food stores. If you're not opposed to artificial sweeteners any of the powdered juice mixes would do the trick.0 -
breenymarie wrote: »Awesome. I'm gonna have to try some of these! And dragonwolf, you made me feel better saying it's not necessary lol my biggest problem though is not getting enough fiber in my diet. That's really why I wanted to up my green intake. I take fiber capsules but they don't seem to do much, plus I have to take a billion a day. Thanks for being so helpful, guys. I'm definitely going to use the advice !
Fiber's over-rated, too. You don't need it (and, in fact, it's often the cause of GI issues, not the cure), and in LCHF, the fat takes over the job that fiber is supposedly supposed to do regarding the GI tract.0 -
I'm learning something every day lol thanks. And @Sabine_Stroehm I just can't do sweeteners with aspartame because It makes me sick.0
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