Fruit smoothies - good or bad?

They are neither good nor bad.

They are food that contains calories, macro and micronutrients that like anything else can be fit in to a balanced dietary intake.

Agree with the poster above. No, smoothies are not the devil. It's just fruit. Fit it into your calorie goals and you'll be fine. Fruit is good for you! And, if you're eating fruit instead of chocolate, it's a win! You get some great nutrients and satisfy your sweet tooth. You could look into adding a bit of protein powder to your smoothies if you're needing to up your protein intake. I sometimes make smoothies with almond milk, too. It makes them a little creamier, a little more filling, and almond milk has hardly any calories. Good luck!

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

Everything is the devil to someone. Read around long enough, and I'm sure you'll find someone swearing that water is making them fat.

It's the nitrates contaminating most tap water. It actually does make you fat!
(and yes... someone I know actually tried to justify her lack of weight loss because of that...)

As long as you are tracking the calories and other nutrients that you use as ingredients for your smoothies and they fit within your goals and macros, then you shouldn't have a problem. If you find you have an imbalance in your macros (ie, carbs way higher than you've set your ratios), then that is when you might want to adjust.

Eating fruit whole (raw) versus self chopped up/blended (raw) has virtually no difference in nutrition...they are just in different solid forms, not different nutrient form (like the difference between raw and cooked (which could destroy some nutrients in some cases) or modified with other things like additional sugars, nutrients, etc. like in a packaged/processed juice).

Sometimes a sweet tooth is a bad habit or addiction, but sometimes it is a sign of other things like possibly hypoglycemia, where if you don't get enough sugar/carbs in your diet, your blood sugar drops too low. For me, my "sweet tooth" is a craving where my body is telling me to get more sugar before my blood sugar drops since I have a mild form of hypoglycemia. Everyone is different and if the later is the case, you might want to be checked out by your doctor to verify and to make sure you don't have any other related health issues. I personally have to have my carbs a bit higher than I'd like, else I have low blood sugar issues, and that means sometimes eating high glycemic fruits that others will freak out over and attempt to label as unhealthy.

I personally try to have at least one protein smoothie daily (or at least a protein bar). While some freak out over getting extra protein that way, it's the only way I can get enough protein into my eating program for me (I just can't eat enough protein and keep all my other macros balanced just by eating meats, dairy, nuts, etc. like others do). Others freak out because I'm 'drinking my nutrients'. Others will freak out for some other nonsensical reason entirely. The one think I've learned is that we're all different. What you need to do is figure out what works best for you and as others say on here "Do you".

cityruss wrote: »

They are neither good nor bad.

They are food that contains calories, macro and micronutrients that like anything else can be fit in to a balanced dietary intake.

This. If your smoothies fit in with your calorie goals then no need to cut them out. Also-smoothies are a great way to get in veggies that you may not normally like (kale, spinach etc). Throw some in and you won't even be able to taste it because of the fruit

Skipper111 wrote: »

However...I keep readying these scary articles which basically make it sound like fruit smoothies are the devil and may be causing more harm than good...?

Quit reading these? ;-)

Seriously, I think there can be some issues with fruit smoothies. For many of us (but not all, so go by your own reaction) they can be not particularly filling. This is much more of an issue if they are used as breakfast or some other meal replacement, and in that case I'd also note that they aren't particularly balanced (no protein or fat or vegetables) and therefore you'd need to be sure you are meeting your goals for those nutrients in other ways. As a snack, though, I'd only say be sure that you are hitting your calories (as they can be quite high cal) and aren't hungry. If so, seems like a good sweet tooth solution.

I used to be really anti smoothies as a breakfast (a somewhat different topic) as I assumed if I drank them I wouldn't be as satisfied as if I ate something, but I had a taste for them this summer (they are cold, plus I love fruit) and found that for me they ARE filling so long as I add protein and make them mostly vegetable-based with just some fruit for flavor. They didn't add lots of fruit calories to my day as I'd basically eat the fruit I would have eaten anyway, just gave me more ways to add it in and combine flavors.

(Oh, and if you are interested in adding greens I recommend it -- I add lots of different other vegetables too, but greens, especially spinach, really aren't that noticeable.)

rg1188 wrote: »

Question: when you add spinach to a fruit smoothie what kind of spinach do you use? Fresh or frozen?

I have used both and can't tell a difference in taste or texture. The only factor I would consider is whether or not your blender can handle frozen spinach.

Yum, idk what could be bad about fruit? Smoothie fruit! Yum!
If that fits with your calorie plan for the day, enjoy!

rg1188 wrote: »

Question: when you add spinach to a fruit smoothie what kind of spinach do you use? Fresh or frozen?

I've used both.

I lost over 80 pounds and had a smoothie for breakfast just about every morning. I used different fruits, greek yoghurt (great source of protein), green stuff like spinach, leftover carrots, whatever I had. My favourite is frozen cherries, almond milk, yoghurt, stevia, and cocoa powder. Yum!!! Like everyone else said, just measure and log.

I'm having a tough time losing my last 5 pounds. I read somewhere that for some people, smoothies don't trigger your brain that you've had something to eat, because you aren't chewing. Worth a try I'm thinking, to lose these last few stubborn pounds. And for that reason i've switched to Greek youghurt and fruit for breakfast so i'm chewing instead of drinking. I honestly havent noticed any difference so i'll probably go back to my smoothies.

Skipper111 wrote: »

crzycatlady1 wrote: »

This. If your smoothies fit in with your calorie goals then no need to cut them out. Also-smoothies are a great way to get in veggies that you may not normally like (kale, spinach etc). Throw some in and you won't even be able to taste it because of the fruit

Amazing idea. I have not had the guts to try a kale or spinach one yet but didn't think to add a little in with my fruit ones. Thank you for the tip! :-)

I add spinach and fruit together all the time. The spinach is mild enough that I don't taste it over the fruit. It's quite nice. I experiment, depending on what I have and what nutrients I need. Coconut water/V8, tap water, or tea plus spinach, flax seeds, protein powder, and whatever fruit I have available (fresh or frozen). I usually am able to have mine for less than 300 calories and it will keep me going for the first three hours of my work day (until I wake up), then I'm ready for breakfast! :laugh: