Quotezine Team 
These tips for your smoothie recipes will ensure you don’t make those mistakes.
When prepared properly, smoothies are the perfect meal replacement; they give you all the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy breakfast, lunch or snack, with almost no effort.
The issue is: if you’re putting the wrong ingredients in that Vitamix, you could be making something with more sugar and fat than a number 1 combo at Mc Donalds.
So, to avoid all of that, we’ve polled some of our readers to put together a list of common smoothie mistakes. After careful consideration, here are 6 tips you can use to keep your smoothies from sabotaging your weight loss goals.
6 Things To Avoid In Your Smoothie Recipes To Lose Weight
1. Don’t Skimp on Vegetables:
We get it, you don’t win friends with salad. But if you want to reduce your risk of developing one of many chronic diseases, you need to suck it up and kick up your veggie intake. According to health.gov, the average American on a 2000 calorie diet, should be eating approximately 4 and 1/2 cups of fruit and veggies a day. The simplest way to achieve this target is in the form of a green smoothie.
Try this awesome green smoothie that’s loaded with vegetables, green tea and a little pineapple.
2. Don’t Use Chilled Fruit:
Use frozen fruit instead. Freezing your strawberries or blueberries will help make your smoothie icy and thick. That way you can cut back on other fatty thickening ingredients and avoid diluting the shake with added ice.
Try this amazing recipe incorporating tons of delicious frozen fruit and beets.
3. Don’t Skimp on the Protein:
Make it a milkshake! Almond milk is your best choice but skim, soy(for ladies) or light yogurt are the best way of kicking up the protein in your shakes. You can always supplement with whey powder as well. The added Protein is excellent for combatting weight gain as it will help you feel fuller for longer.
Try this protein packed smoothie recipe.
4. Don’t Thicken with Banana: This is by far the most common mistake. Yes, bananas do have fiber and are mostly composed of natural sugars but this is still adding more sugar than necessary. The best trick to cut down on sugars is to use an avocado instead. It will add body to the smoothie and is high in potassium, B-complex vitamins, anti-oxidants and fiber. They are loaded with good fats and they’ll also stop you from feeling hungry.
Try this amazing recipe that uses avocado, chocolate and peanut butter.
5. Don’t Water Down with Juice: Put away the juicer! By using more fruit juice in your already fruity smoothie, you’re adding more sugar to the drink than is necessary. Instead, try using a few splashes of coconut water. It contains potassium and electrolytes and tastes great mixed with almost anything.
Try this super simple 3-ingredient recipe with just berries, yogurt and cashew milk.
6. Don’t Sweeten with Honey: Agave syrup is a good alternative to honey. It’s sweeter and has a lower glycemic index load. So you get less of a spike in blood sugar and you won’t feel so hungry afterwards.
Try this 6-ingredient recipe with frozen berries, almond milk, chia seeds and kale.
image via: Stacy Spensley
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