When you are on a weight loss program you may find it a little boring. These diet shake recipes will help spice things up with the added benefit of helping you lose pounds.
Shakes and smoothies are great to make in the summer months due to the plentiful supply of fresh fruit. Adding low fat yogurt makes them even more tempting. But you can still partake in the winter. All you have to do is use frozen fruit which has just as few calories and tastes almost as good.
So what recipes would be recommended?
Experiment with your food. We all get stuck in a diet rut where we eat the same type of foods day in and day out. So now it is time to broaden your horizons. Try out a new fruit or vegetable every week. You could also try cooking in a different way. For example if you always fry steak why not try grilling instead. Or steam your fish? Simple changes are great as you will lose pounds with very little effort.
There are some foods that are high in soluble fiber meaning they fill you up but have few calories. These include Brussels sprouts, mangoes, peas, dried apricots, sprouts and spring greens. Adding a couple of these to your meals will help you eat less and so reduce your waistline.
At the end of the day, tasty diet shake recipes are easy to find but can only be part of the overall weight loss program.
Smoothie making basic guide
First, you should decide what recipe will suit your purpose – are you trying to lose weight or just want to add more greens into your diet? If you do not know which recipe to use, search the Internet where you will find a plethora of different ones that will suit your every need.
Secondly, keep in mind that the first thing you add into your blender is the liquid you want to use. Do not forget that you should stick to your recipe and should not add more water than recommended (usually not more than 2 cups per person); otherwise your smoothie will be too watery.
Keep in mind that smoothie is not a milkshake and therefore not a sugary dessert but, when done right, actually a meal replacement. The base of a milkshake is dairy, usually ice cream or milk with added flavor. They can be topped with whipped cream and candy.
We definitely do not want that in smoothies, so make sure you use a healthy liquid base, which certainly does not include sugary drinks and other liquids filled with sugar. You should rather use filtered water, almond/coconut/hazelnut/oat milk, organic fruit juiced or kefir.
You can then add your base, which will make the smoothie creamy. The most basic base is a banana, followed by avocado, peach, apple, chia seed gel or nut butters. Yoghurt, frozen fruit or pears will also do the trick.
Now it is time to add the fruits or vegetables your smoothie recipe requires. You can also get creative and add whatever you think goes together and then learn from your mistakes. Opt for fresh fruits or the frozen ones – you can also prepare packs of cut fruits beforehand and freeze them; that way you will also save time.
At the end, you can also add some additional foods to your smoothie, such as dates or maple syrup to make it sweeter (even though most smoothie recipes already include enough sweet fruit), a pinch of quality salt that will increase the minerals (such as pink Himalayan salt), spices, quality protein powder, superfoods, such as chia, flax or hemp seeds, goji berries… The possibilities are endless!
After adding all your ingredients, it is time to start blending! Follow the instructions of your blender and do not worry, after a few times, smoothie making will become second nature for you and you will get it right every time.
THE MOST COMMON SMOOTHIE MISTAKES
Everyone says making smoothies is so easy, so what could actually go wrong? However, they are still some things that could go wrong.
If your smoothie is too watery, simply add more fruit (the best option would be bananas or frozen fruit), nut butter or oats.
If it lacks creaminess, you can add some nut butter, oatmeal, avocado or banana. On the other hand, if your smoothie is too thick, add some non-dairy milk, such as oatmeal, coconut, hazelnut or almond. Remember that this might change its flavor, so always add the liquids in small amounts.
In case you accidentally made your green smoothie taste almost too healthy, you should add more milk, such as for example hazelnut, a frozen banana or some maple syrup.
Even if your smoothie is too tasteless, you can still save it – add a splash of natural fruit juice for acid taste, Greek yoghurt for tangy taste, or dates or maple syrup for sweetness. You can also add spices or grated ginger to add more flavor.
If the smoothie is not blended enough, you might not be adding the ingredients to your blender in the correct order. You should add your liquids first, which will get the blade turning smoothly. Start blending on slow speed and then gradually increasing the speed.
Detoxify with green smoothies for a healthier body
Whole, fresh, ripe vegetables and fruits along with a stress free and relaxed lifestyle can facilitate entire process of detoxification and cleansing. One such way of detoxification in which large volume of whole fruits is used is drinking Green Smoothies. Made with rich quality, natural nutritional substances, these drinks can make you get rid of toxic substances from within the body with ease.
Green smoothies are made with organic fruits and vegetables. The fruits used in making it are rich in water and loaded with vital nutrients especially vitamin C that is main natural source to detoxification. In addition to this, the organic vegetables are rich in chlorophyll that is believed to purify blood and cleanse down entire body. Moreover, the green smoothies hold excellent fiber content and antioxidants that are again greatly helpful in detoxification.
So, when the purifying power of fruits is combined with the cleansing aid of green leafy vegetables then this results in making a rich smoothie that is perfect for detoxification.
There are various fruits and vegetables that can be specially added in green smoothies prepared for detoxification. Citrus fruits like lemon, oranges, limes, grapefruit and green vegetables like spinach, cucumber, kale can be particularly added to make detoxifying green smoothies. Even ginger is a great detoxifying element that can be added to smoothies made for body cleansing purposes.
If garlic suits you then it can be added to smoothie drink. In order to prepare perfect smoothie drink, it is better to avoid adding powdered flavored food, supplements, protein powders, fats, refined oil and other similar substances. So, prepare light and healthy green smoothies for detoxification that can be consumed on daily basis.
Start your Healthy Green Smoothie Lifestyle with this recipe:
1 cup of spinach
1/2 cup of pineapple
1/2 cup of mango
1/2 banana
2 kiwi
1/2 cup of pitaya (dragon fruit)
1/2 cup of kale
1 tsp. of ginger
1 tsp. of apple extract
1/2 cup of coconut water
1 tsp. of agave nectar or honey
1 ice cube
Put the spinach, pineapple, mango, banana, and pitaya in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Add the kale, ginger, apple, coconut water, and agave nectar/honey. Blend again until completely smooth. Add ice and blend again until smooth. Note: If you use frozen fruit, skip adding the ice.
Smoothie detox
Watermelon Smoothie
Celery Smoothie
SMOOTHIE WITH FRUIT
KIWI SMOOTHIE
VEGETABLE SMOOTHIE
AVOCADO SMOOTHIE
You may read our article Weight Loss Diet Menu