How to Make a Healthy Smoothie

One of my missions is to educate the public about good nutrition. Often I find adults who do not understand how the foods they choose to eat play a significant role in their own health. Such is the case with smoothies. They are very popular right now, but many people load their blenders up with a lot of fruit to make the smoothie sweeter, unintentionally making a high-calorie, high-glycemic drink. This is also the case with juicing.

Don’t Crash and Burn

Whether you are juicing or making smoothies, it is important to use mostly vegetables with some whole food fat and a limited amount of fruit for flavor. Both a smoothie and a juice may cause an unfavorable rise in blood glucose if too much fruit is used. Use only a small amount of fruit to add sweetness and flavor. You want to be sure to get the most nutritional value while limiting the sugar from the fruit. Also don’t forget the healthy fat from seeds and nuts, which helps to make the smoothie a filling meal. Since the presence of fats is known to increase carotenoid absorption from leafy greens,^{1, 2} it is possible that nuts and seeds in a smoothie could increase absorption further.

One more tip: The process of blending or  juicing increases the accessibility of many micronutrients found in plant foods. Blending increases our ability to absorb these nutrients because it breaks down some structural components of the plant cell. It is important to note that valuable micronutrients are bound to the fiber within a plant cell and that fiber is removed by juicing. Therefore, smoothies can offer more nutritional value for many people, in addition to the fiber keeping the glycemic load down. ¹

The best way to make a smoothie is to add a low glycemic fruit such as berries, plus a small amount of nuts and seeds to the blender, and then fill it to the top with leafy green vegetables. Made this way, a smoothie can pack huge nutritional value into a convenient, easily drinkable, and tasty meal.

However, there can be a place for vegetable juicing in a healthy diet, too, if it is used to complement a healthful diet rather than to replace leafy green salads and whole raw vegetables. Juicing is also especially helpful for those who have gastrointestinal conditions, nutrient absorption issues, or other medical conditions. For those individuals, juicing vegetables can be particularly valuable as it can deliver a nice load of micronutrients for those with limited appetite for raw veggies. Vegetable juices, especially using carrot, beet, tomato and celery as a base and then adding cruciferous veggies such as kale, arugula, cauliflower, or broccoli, can be a useful supplement, promoting healing through their unique nutritional benefits.

Beware of High-Calorie Drinks

But be aware that commercial green juices can contain apple juice or other fruit concentrates that can make the juice too calorie-dense and glycemic.   When using a limited amount of fruit it is better to make a green smoothie so the whole food is blended into your drink, fiber and all. The fiber lessens the glycemic effects and also helps to make you feel more satisfied after drinking the smoothie. This is an added bonus for those who are trying to lose weight.

 I also don’t recommend juicing for those with diabetes. For them, even the carrot juice contains too much rapidly absorbed glucose.  Without the fiber from the original vegetables, the sugar in the juice enters the bloodstream too rapidly.

Try A Favorite Recipe

Eat Your Greens Smoothie
Serves: 2

• 3 ounces baby spinach or kale
• 2 ounces romaine lettuce
• 1 banana
• 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth and creamy.
It is one of the over 1,400 nutritious and delicious recipes available in the member center of www.DrFuhrman.com.

1. Parada J, Aguilera JM. Food microstructure affects the bioavailability of several nutrients. J Food Sci 2007, 72:R21-32.
2. Brown MJ, Ferruzzi MG, Nguyen ML, et al. Carotenoid bioavailability is higher from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as measured with electrochemical detection. Am J Clin Nutr 2004, 80:396-403.