Whole Foods And The Gut
Whole foods are loaded with fibers that are sometimes lost during processing or refinement. Fiber is essential for a healthy gut because aside from its traditional roughage reputation, it also feeds the healthy bacteria in your gut, providing a whole host of other benefits.
They also provide a lot of variety, which the gut loves. The more variety, the better. So, even though you might fall in love with certain recipes, its important to mix up the kinds of whole foods you eat to maintain a healthy gut. Aim for 30 different whole foods each week. Its easier than you think!
Keeping The Ingredients Minimal But Flavourful
My biggest piece of advice is to keep it simple!
Pick 1-3 fruits to add, maybe a leafy green such as spinach and then your liquid and protein source. That’s it!
Don’t make it harder on yourself by going out and spending all this money on fish oil, fresh turmeric, etc and then have a smoothie where you don’t enjoy the taste very much or you’ve spent $100 on ingredients and have turned it into a complicated process. Sometimes the healthiest foods are the simplest foods.
Detox And Weight Loss Smoothie Recipes
A basic detox smoothie recipe contains some type of leafy green vegetable like kale, spinach, or chard, along with some type of fruit like bananas, berries, apples, or pineapple. Water, ice, unsweetened almond milk, or coconut water is often added to the smoothie to thin it out and make it easier to blend.
Other common detox and weight loss smoothie ingredients include: Yogurt, celery, lemons, limes, ginger, mango, cranberries, cilantro, fennel, watermelon, almonds , dandelion greens, green tea, watercress, arugula, wheatgrass, avocado, spirulina, and beets.
Here are more detox smoothie recipes to try out. I encourage you to try different ingredients and find the ones you especially like, because the goal is to drink these detox smoothies as often as you can on a smoothie diet.
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Why Is Fruit A Solution
Dont get scared because you have a mechanism thats harmful to your body inside of you. As we said before, there are solutions.
Eating fruits is one of them. The fruit has a significant amount of potassium, magnesium, bromine, copper, zinc, and calcium.
In fact, you can combine fruit in your diet recipes, especially in drinks and natural smoothies. This will help balance your diet and get you not only a good figure but also good health.
There are studies that have shown that having a balanced diet, which includes whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables is an ideal solution for supplying your body with the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that belong to the antioxidant group.
This type of diet may also help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Strawberries, bananas, pineapple, melon, and lemons are ideal for making homemade natural weight loss smoothies.
Well propose five of the best fruit smoothies for weight loss in the next paragraphs.
What Is A Detox Smoothie
Detox smoothies are an easy and delicious way to flush your body of toxins and help lose weight fast. They usually contain fresh vegetables and fruit, and can be made with an ordinary kitchen blender or Vitamix machine.
The typical weight loss smoothie recipe is full of vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and other healthful nutrients giving your body a detoxifying flush. They also contain large amounts of water, which helps to hydrate your body and boost metabolism.
The idea here is to inundate your system with pure nutrition, to eat as we did as hunters and gathers well, with blender at least. So nuts, veggies and fruits are all key.
Eating this way will not only reset your system, but your taste buds too! After 3 days on a smoothie diet, you will start to crave healthier food. And if you eat processed or fried food you will feel it, youll feel sluggish and bloated. Listen to your body, it will tell you what it wants to eat by how it feels 30-60 minutes after you eat.
If you despise the taste of anything green try starting with baby spinach in all your weight loss smoothies, it has virtually no flavor and will naturally boost your metabolism. You wont even know its in your smoothie, all you will taste is the fruit. As you become accustom to the spinach try swapping half of it for kale or chard, adding more of the new greens and less of the spinach until your taste buds start to enjoy your new food.
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What Is A Whole Food Diet
In other words, it involves a lot of cooking because whole foods do not involve anything processed. That means no premade sauces, dips, or convenience foods like chocolate bars, sweets, or ready-meals. It also includes things like tinned vegetables and white bread.
Why? Processed and convenience foods are often high in salt, saturated fat, and additives in comparison to anything homemade. Because of this, their toll on your overall health is higher.
Can You Put Coffee Grounds Into A Smoothie
Yes, you can add ground coffee into your smoothie and its totally ok to eat coffee grounds. Its not only a great way to add extra flavor and texture into your smoothie, itll also provide that added caffeine without needing to brew any coffee. Plus, you get the full benefit of coffee beans without having it be diluted in the brewing process. That being said, we ALSO add chilled brewed coffee because we want to maximize the coffee flavor in this coffee smoothie. BONUS: coffee grounds contain antioxidants, which is an added bonus for your smoothie.
Just make sure youre using un-brewed ground coffee for your ground coffee in this smoothie. If the coffee grounds are already brewed, they will lack flavor and caffeine, which are the two main reasons to be adding the grounds into your coffee to begin with!
NOTE: We are talking about ground coffee here, NOT instant coffee. While you could use instant coffee, that is not how this recipe is intended.
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Green Smoothie 10 Day Cleanse
The green smoothie 10 day cleanse is so simple, anyone can do it!
All you do is replace one meal a day, with one of the above detox smoothies! Simple right?!
If you are looking to do this at breakfast, check out my Breakfast Smoothie Recipes here:
The above green smoothie cleanse plans are all free, and easy to work with!
Below you will find a way to make it even easier with a FREE Smoothie Diet Meal Planner!
Our Top 5 Favorite Benefits Of A Smoothie Detox Are:
- Quick weight loss
- Clearer skin
As you can see, starting a smoothie diet can change your life, for the better!
Weight loss smoothies can help you look better, feel better, live longer whats not to love?!
If you feel like a smoothie cleanse is right for you, see all 3 of our smoothie cleanse guides below. However, if youre just looking to add a bit more fruits and veggies to your diet, try working one of the healthy smoothie recipe options below.
If youre looking to feel and look great fast, try a smoothie diet!
Below we have 3 smoothie diet guides, and 10 smoothie diet recipes to help you get started.
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Banana Smoothie: Exquisite And Easy
Another fruit that people use to make specific dishes in some countries is the banana. Banana smoothies are very tasty, nutritious, and great for any time of the day.
Every banana contains a lot of potassium, which means that it has high energy power.
When you mix this fruit with low-fat milk, youll get a light and delicious smoothie that will help you maintain your weight or lose weight, as long as you accompany it with exercise.
If thats your goal, we suggest you dont add whole milk or vanilla ice cream, since some recipes offer this option.
This is because both things can turn your banana smoothie into a drink thats bad for your figure, especially if you drink it frequently.
Nutty & Chocolatey Weight Loss Smoothies
Have you ever heard of the “health halo”? It’s a term nutrition experts use to describe foods that use a healthy-sounding word like natural on their labels, or add ingredients that people think of as good for you , but which are really junk at heart.
These smoothies are the reverse of that theory. These drinks are tremendously nutritiouspacked with as much, or more, fiber, protein, and healthy fats as any other drinks in the whole book. But they seem like they’re bad for you. How can drinks that seem like they came right from the ice cream shop flatten your belly so effectively?
These are the drinks you’ll whip up on a night when you want something to satisfy your ice cream jones. They’re the recipes you’ll lean on when your kids are complaining that they want something sweet for dessert. And they’re the drinks you’ll use to reward yourself after a hard day at work or in the gym. Deep, comforting, and delicious, these filling smoothies taste more like dessert than what they really arepowerful weight-loss weapons, compliments of the new book, Zero Belly Smoothies.
All recipes make one serving.
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Breakfast Smoothies For Weight Loss Recipes
Herere my top 4 fav breakfast smoothie recipes that instantly take my morning from drab to fab at first sip. Ive formulated them with ingredients that maximize both the weight loss benefits, as well as a clean boost of energy.
Fat Burning Smoothie This vegan breakfast smoothie is tailor-made to speed up the metabolism and burn fat . Drink this smoothie, then get in a morning workout. This will maximize the benefits of the grapefruit, avocado, and celery.
Chocolate Banana Protein Shake Who said chocolate is only for dessert?! This insanely delicious breakfast protein smoothie is the perfect workout recovery drink, as well as a way to kick that weight loss into gear. Not only does it satisfy my sweet tooth, its packed with vegan protein that helps my muscles recover faster from hard exercise.
Meal Replacement Smoothie Bringing up the rear in this breakfast smoothie recipes lineup, is a berry smoothie that leaves me full and ready to conquer the day. I use whatever berries are in season to get the best taste, as well as the most antioxidant benefits. Berries are super sweet + low sugar, which is a great combo for health and satisfaction.
Avocado Banana Smoothie Blending this creamy breakfast smoothie will give the body the healthy fat it craves to create natural energy without the crash. This smoothie is also loaded with ingredients that help my skin glow bonus!
Fat Burning Weight Loss Smoothies To Get A Flat Belly
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These healthy smoothie recipes for weight loss are great because they are going to keep you full between meals or you can have one in place of breakfast when you are on the go.
If you are one of those people that finds it hard to get in your greens, smoothies are a wonderful way to sneak vegetables into your diet. For smoothie recipes that are all fruit, I like to add a handful of spinach to it.
Truthfully you dont even really notice the spinach with all the other overpowering flavors. Its just an easy and quick way to get some extra vegetables in!
One thing to keep in mind with these recipes is they arent for a specific diet, so you are going want to find one to suit your needs. If you are on a low carb diet, you might want to look at more veggie-based smoothie recipes that have lower carb fruits .
Let me know in the comments below what your favorite healthy fruit and vegetable smoothie is!!
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Whats In This Peach Protein Shake
First of all, this protein shake has PEACHES! The best thing about adding peaches especially when theyre ripe and in season is that youll get to enjoy a smoothie full of sweetness and flavor. Why are peaches one of the most flavorful fruits? I dont know! But I do know they are packed with vitamin C which your immune system will love.
This protein shake also contains
1. Almond Milk:
Youll always find almond milk in my protein smoothie recipes. Not only is it 50% lower in calories than cows milk, but its also dairy-free.
2. Greek Yogurt
If you didnt know this yet, greek yogurt is actually good for weight loss because it keeps you full and reduces your temptation to snack. I like my shakes quite creamy so adding this provides the perfect texture.
3. Vanilla Protein Powder
I like vanilla protein powder with this smoothie because it gives a note of peaches and cream. Typically a scoop of protein powder will add 15-30 grams of protein to your fruit shakes.
4. Frozen Peach Slices
Have you seen my post on How To Freeze Peaches? Theres a technique! This summer Ill be doing a lot of peach freezing so I can enjoy this protein shake all year round!
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothies
This Banana Oatmeal Breakfast smoothie recipe is delcious, and good for you too. The lean protein from the milk and yogurt provides energy, and the soluble fiber from oats and banana helps boosts heart health.
Add in strawberries, peaches or pineapple as you like for an added boost of flavor. They all go great in these detox smoothies for weight loss!
This weight loss breakfast detox smoothie will keep you full for hours! Its fantastic before or after a workout, and is a great, easy healthy breakfast recipe.
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Orange Creamsicle Protein Shake
The high-protein, high-fiber profile of this creamy smoothie makes it an excellent choice when youre battling hunger during your weight loss journey. Both protein and fiber slow down digestion and promote satiety signals to be sent to the brain. Together, well, lets just say food will be off your mind for the next few hoursunless like me you enjoy the smoothie too much and cannot wait to have it again! Paul Salter, MS, RD, and former nutrition editor of Bodybuilding.com.
Savory Weight Loss Smoothies
A smoothie can be a lot of things: a pre- or post-workout boost, a cold and refreshing thirst quencher, a thick and creamy dessert, a perfectly balanced breakfast. But one thing most of us never think of when we think of smoothies: comfort food.
These recipes, from the book Zero Belly Smoothies, stake out a new territory in the smoothie landscape, a culinary point of departure into a taste realm you might not have considered. While these smoothies are still cold and refreshing, they’re going to taste more like a savory soup than a bright pick-me-up.
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
- 3 ice cubes
- Water to blend
NUTRITION: 232 calories / 2 g fat / 28 g carbs / 3.5 g fiber / 10 g sugar / 26 g protein
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Whole Foods And The Brain
The brain is a really hungry organ, and it uses 25% of the total energy you consume from your food. Everything it needs to function at its best isyou guessed ita whole, unprocessed food.
In fact, the best diet recommended for brain health is the MIND Diet. In one study, it was shown that people who follow the MIND diet closely had a 53% reduced rate of developing Alzheimers.
Some of the best whole foods for the brain are:
- Oily fish
- Whole grains
Tomato Juice + Cucumber Smoothie
Tomatoes are not only good for your skin, but they also have properties for weight loss. Whether its properties help reduce and control blood sugar levels, which makes us not feel hungry often. It can help reduce edema in the body or help reduce bad cholesterol in the blood. Cucumbers also contain a lot of water, which helps the system in the body to function normally better.
Ingredient
1. Wash the ingredients thoroughly and cut them ready.2. Put the cucumber into the blender first.3. When the cucumbers are blended until fine, add the chopped tomatoes and blend them together.3. Blend until tomato and cucumber are homogeneous, pour into a glass, ready to drink.
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What Happens To Your Body When You Drink Protein Shakes
When you drink a protein shake, you get the tissue repair and muscle growth benefits I mentioned above. This added boost of protein will ultimately increase your strength, build muscle and cut down on any excess body fat. Check out this study on how protein can help your muscles and strength gains in resistance training. If youre looking to increase your muscle mass then a shake before or after your workout will help you achieve your fitness goals!
Are Smoothies A Good Way To Lose Weight
Simple smoothies can be a way to lose weight, if you incorporate them into your diet correctly.
One common mistake that causes some people to not successfully lose weight is to not pay attention to portions or what ingredients they are putting in their smoothies.
And because smoothies are drinks that are easy to down rather than meals you sit down and chew, its not hard to overlook the amount of food thats in your blended beverage.
If you do plan to lose weight with smoothies, as with any food or diet, you need to take in fewer calories than you are currently eating to shed those pounds. This is done by combining ingredients that are low-calorie, nutrient-dense, and leave you feeling fuller.
Homemade weight loss smoothies are the best way to control the quality of the ingredients that go into your blended beverage. And remember, never put your health at risk or leave you feeling starved.
As always, check with your health practitioner to make sure that you are embarking on a diet that is suitable for your situation.
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