Why Your Green Smoothie Is Making You Fat

Everyone is turning to the green smoothie to lose weight. In fact, if you look in your town, there probably is a new business on Main Street that sells nothing but smoothies. Smoothies are HOT and for good reason. No other meal can deliver as much nutrition in one shot as a smoothie. It really is the ideal delivery system for your body.

So what’s the problem? Well, just when you thought you found the perfect way to lose weight, you step on the scale and discover that you are actually gaining weight.

How is this possible?

It’s simple really. When you hear the words “green smoothie”, you think vegetables and low calorie. Well, the truth about green smoothies is that they are anything but “green”. Almost all of the green smoothie recipes that I have studied in books, articles, and blog posts include fruit as a major component of the smoothie. Fruit is sugar and sugar makes you fat. It’s that simple.

Now the word “green” implies that the smoothie is made with veggies, not fruit. But nothing could be further from the truth. The creators of these recipes include fruit to add sweetness to make the smoothie appealing. Remember, we are all addicted to sugar, so any thing with sugar will appeal to us. Here are some of the recipes that come up when you Google “green smoothie recipes with veggies only”:

• Collard Greens Smoothie with Mango and Lime
• Spinach Smoothie with Avocado and Apple
• Kale Smoothie with Pineapple and Banana

See what I mean? Don’t get me wrong, these recipes are tasty and full of great nutrition. But if you are trying to lose weight, these “green” smoothies are not the most ideal solution. The reason is because they are chock full of sugar. In your body, sugar turns to fat unless it is used immediately. So, if you are trying to get back into your skinny jeans and drinking green smoothies thinking you are going to lose weight, you may be disappointed.

The “perfect” green smoothie for weight loss is one that is made only with non-starchy vegetables. That means NO fruit. Here is one of my favorite green smoothie recipes:

• 2 handfuls of baby spinach, kale, or collard greens. Pack it down in the bottom of your blender.
• 1 medium to large bell pepper. Any color will do.
• 1 medium sized cucumber.
• 1 small to medium raw beet
• 10-12 almonds, or 1 tbsp natural almond butter
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 1tbsp flaxseed
• 1 scoop vanilla flavored (no sugar) protein powder

This smoothie will give you an amazing boost of essential vitamins and minerals without the sugar. By not spiking your blood sugar, you can drink this smoothie for breakfast and be satisfied until lunchtime. You will notice a change in your energy level and the way you feel almost immediately.

The green smoothie (made with veggies only) is a great way to lose weight. In fact, I have clients who have lost a tome of weight by having a smoothie for breakfast and lunch, then a normal dinner. The smoothie gives them all of the nutrition they need, keeps their blood sugar level, and shrinks the size of their stomach. This means at dinner, they eat less food and the leads to massive weight loss.

Give it a try and see what happens for you.