Hey there, viewers.
When was the last time you drank a smoothie?
A smoothie is typically a drink made by mixing fruits or vegetables in a blender.
There are a million types of smoothies to choose from.
While they do have several health benefits, drinking too many smoothies can have negative
effects on your health.
Today we’ll explore both.
Let’s talk about what drinking smoothies everyday does to your body.
Does it raise your blood sugar?
Are they really all that filling?
How many vitamins do smoothies supply?
Wait, do they take away cravings?
We’re talking all that AND more…
Too Many Calories?
Hearing that smoothies are jam-packed with calories is hard for some to digest.
No pun intended.
Now how many calories is the average smoothie?
Well it depends.
You have to take into account the size, as well as the foods you are including.
One regular sized homemade smoothie usually contains around 130 calories altogether.
But when bought from a retail outlet, your smoothie can spike to 330 calories.
That’s mainly because of the size they come in at stores.
Not to mention the extra ingredients they mix in.
I get it, even at 330 calories, it still doesn’t seem like a whole lot to worry about.
But you need to pay attention to what’s in those calories.
Many retail smoothie companies load their smoothies with sugar.
Yes you will have a few vitamins and nutrients, but the same 330 calorie smoothie contains
a ton of carbs!
I’m talking over 30% of your daily carbohydrates.
In that, you have almost 70 grams of sugar.
The average person is recommended between 25 and 36 grams per day.
If you are adding dried food to your smoothie, it will really increase your calories.
I mean sure you’re getting the proper nutrients, but you need to make sure that you’re not
overdoing it on the sugar.
This can make a daily smoothie quite dangerous for your health.
If you can, try to pick fruits with the least amounts of sugar.
When buying a drink from a smoothie shop, perhaps avoid fruit juice if that is an option.
Otherwise, you can open yourself up to a variety of health issues.
What’s your favorite type of smoothie?
Is it high in calories?
Sound off in the comments below and start a conversation with our Bestie community!
An Increase In Blood Sugar
Due to the excess sugar in many smoothies, regular drinkers can experience a massive
spike in their blood sugar.
To be clear, your blood sugar level is the concentration of glucose in your body.
If your blood sugar is too high, it can lead to a variety of health issues.
Smoothies that are store bought often contain added syrups that enhance the flavor.
Unfortunately, this can contribute to high blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia.
In the United States alone, there are an estimated 85 million people living with prediabetic
conditions.
Symptoms of hyperglicemia include things like increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue,
stomach pain and even vomiting.
If you are experiencing these signs, make sure you go to see a doctor.
These may be the first signs of type-2 diabetes.
If a patient with diabetes is not paying attention to their blood sugar, and it remains high,
they could go into a diebetic coma.
This can be fatal.
You are also now open to other diabetic complications
like blindness, heart disease and kidney failure.
If you would like to lower your chance of hyperglycemia, make your delicious smoothie
at home.
This way, you can use store-bought fruits rather than sugary juices or syrups that are
used at smoothie places.
It is also recommended that you use ingredients like unflavored yogurt, non-dairy milk or
even water to mix in the fruit.
Not only does this reduce the amount of sugar in your smoothie, it will also decrease your
calories.
Your Digestion Improves
Let’s talk about one of the positive effects for a second.
When you're on a regular smoothie diet, your digestion will improve.
This is one of the main reasons health freaks drink smoothies so much.
It’s because smoothies are full of fiber.
Even the super sugary ones can carry a ton.
A 330 calorie store-bought smoothie holds almost 20% of your daily recommended fiber.
That’s just over 5 grams.
You are recommended between 20 to 30 grams of fiber each day.
Most Americans consume only half the suggested amount.
Fiber feeds your gut bacteria, normalizing bowel movements and maintaining your bowel
health.
Fiber also helps you lose weight, as it allows you to feel full for a longer period.
Eating regular fiber will lower your cholesterol and blood sugar levels as well.
A Stronger Immune System
If you’re experiencing health difficulties, a daily smoothie can be good for you.
Smoothies contain vitamins and other nutrients that will boost your immune system.
A weakened immune system that isn’t receiving the proper nutrients leaves you vulnerable
to a number of illnesses.
It is usually caused by habits like smoking, drinking, or poor nutrition.
Signs of a weak immune system include extreme fatigue, slow healing wounds and easy infections.
These are all things that can be improved with a healthy smoothie.
Let’s take a look at one of the more popular smoothie choices... strawberry banana.
Just hearing those two words together makes my mouth water…
A regular-sized, homemade strawberry banana smoothie can hold up over 250 calories.
Inside of it, you have almost 50% of your daily Vitamin C intake.
Are you suffering from an annoying cold?
Well Vitamin C can boost your immune system, helping you overcome that cold and get back
on your feet.
Protein Overload
The right kind of smoothie will help you pack on the protein.
This is why so many fitness junkies have a smoothie after a workout.
Protein is essential for repairing tissues and building your bones & muscles.
You need a fair amount of protein to keep your hair and skin healthy as well.
Now keep in mind, this type of smoothie probably won’t be as tasty as the ones you’re used
to.
Let’s talk about the veggie ones for a second.
You can’t leave them out of the discussion.
Some of the best vegetables for smoothies are kale, zucchini, spinach, cauliflower and
carrot.
The average vegetable holds 2.5 grams of protein per serving.
Adding ingredients like almond butter and seeds will increase that amount by quite a
bit.
You can also try mixing your smoothie ingredients with Greek yogurt.
A single cup of Greek yogurt has almost 10 grams of protein.
Having a fresh veggie smoothie each morning with some greek yogurt will put you on the
path to getting in shape.
Before we continue, have you been looking after your teeth lately?
Check out our recent video discussing 11 Foods To Avoid If You Want Beautiful, White Teeth.
Now back to our video on what Drinking Smoothies Everyday Does To Your Body.
They Will Make You Hungry
This is one of the more annoying effects of a smoothie diet, but it still should be mentioned.
Have you ever had a giant, delicious smoothie and still felt like your stomach is empty?
Certain smoothies, when liquified, are missing out on essential fiber.
This can happen if you are mixing in more milk than you are yogurts or solid fruits.
A single cup of regular milk contains no fiber whatsoever.
If you are adding only half a banana and a couple of strawberries into the milk, well
your smoothie will taste more like a milkshake.
Say Goodbye To Your Cravings
Because of all the nutrients smoothies can possess, a lot of the inner cravings you have
for junk food will go away.
These are urges we get to eat certain foods, when really our body just needs nutrients
we are lacking.
We’re not even aware of it.
For instance, you might have a sudden craving for pizza.
But really, your body just wants calcium.
It is simply used to get its calcium fix from pizza.
Since your smoothie will have lots of great vitamins and minerals, many of your junk food
cravings will fly out the window.
If you drink the standard strawberry banana smoothie, not only are you consuming calcium,
you’re also getting potassium and some great Vitamins.
Remember how I mentioned that this smoothie gives you 50% of your daily Vitamin C, it
also gives you nearly 20% of your daily Vitamin A and D. While there are a ton of carbs in
a strawberry banana smoothie, these nutrients can make up for it.
If you’re going to drink one everyday, try and make it with as little sugar as possible.
That means a healthy balance of fruits and low-sugar liquids.
One of the best tips for making a smoothie is to start blending them from the comfort
of your kitchen.
This way you have more control over what you’re putting into it.
When you buy a smoothie from a food court, they are putting in extra ingredients that
will only make it more unhealthy.
Do you drink a lot of smoothies?
Would you consider drinking more after watching this video?
Let us know in the comments below.
We would love to hear from you!