Low Calorie Smoothie Recipes

Benefits of a Healthy Low Calorie Smoothie. Healthy low calorie smoothie recipes will make you one of the most nutritious — and delicious — meals on earth. Healthy low calorie smoothies are loaded with phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and enzymes that come in a whole-food form.

The fruits and vegetable blended together in healthy smoothie recipes provide vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that will do wonders for your health — and strengthen your body’s defenses against disease.

In addition, when fruits and vegetables are blended, the plant fibers are broken down just like when you chew them; the blender literally does most of the “chewing” for you. And chewing food more thoroughly means that you'll absorb more of the nutrients.

Healthy low calorie smoothies retain the fiber from the fruits and the vegetables you use. The fiber works to improve digestion and helps your body naturally rid itself of toxins. Fiber also helps you feel more satisfied, and maintains that feeling longer.

Best Ingredients to Use for
Low Calorie Smoothie Recipes

Most smoothie recipes use ingredients from 3 primary categories: a liquid base, fruits and vegetables.

Water can be used as a starter for your low fat smoothie; it has the lowest amount of calories — zero. Then there's low-fat milk, yogurt or some type of dairy-free milk substitute such as almond milk, soy milk, rice milk and others. These typically have between 70 and 150 calories per 8oz. serving; check the nutritional label on the package.

The table to the right lists the calorie, carb and fiber content of the most common ingredients used for making smoothies. Use it as a guide when creating your own low calorie smoothie recipes.

Stevia — the No-Calorie Sweetener.
If you want to sweeten up your low calorie smoothies, the best sweetener to use is stevia.

Stevia is an herbal extract that's many times as sweet as sugar, so you use much less. It comes in powder, liquid or tablet form and has no calories. Stevia also does not raise blood sugar levels and is safe for diabetics. It's probably the healthiest sweetener you can get.

If you need a good source for stevia products, iHerb.com has over 70 to choose from! And at iHerb, you'll get $5 off your first purchase!

Chilling Your Low Calorie Smoothies

Is there's anything more satisfying than a cold, creamy smoothie? There are two ways of chilling your healthy smoothie recipes:

• Ice Cubes — a good way of thinning down a smoothie that's too thick and chilling it at the same time.

• Frozen Fruit — has the advantage of not diluting the taste, and also giving your healthy smoothies a creamier texture. It's very easy and convenient to create a stash of frozen cut-up fruit, so you always have some on hand.

Optional Ingredients
for Your Low Calorie Smoothie Recipes

Protein Additives

Adding a quality source of protein turns your smoothie into a complete meal. I recommend raw organic eggs or a protein powder made from hemp, rice, peas or whey.

Hemp protein powder is a great way to add healthy omega 3 fats and fiber to your smoothie as well.

Undenatured whey is another excellent source of protein for your smoothies. Both whey and hemp protein are very mild tasting; the hemp powder is not as concentrated and will thicken up your smoothie quite a bit more than the whey protein will.

I don't recommend using cheap protein powders, especially any with artificial ingredients. The whey protein should be cold-processed (undenatured) and derived from grass-fed cows, free of hormones and chemicals. Cold-processing whey protects the nutrients in their natural state.

Antioxidant Superfoods

Green superfood powders like chlorella and spirulina make any smoothie a super-nutritious green smoothie. They give you the equivalent of several full-size servings of dark green leafy vegetables in just one tablespoon.

Superfood supplements like maca root, raw cacao, hemp, flax, chia seeds and others increase the antioxidant content and nutritional benefits of your smoothie in their own unique ways.

Antioxidant superfruits like acai, goji, mangosteen and noni, available as concentrated juices or powders, add lots more antioxidants and a natural fruit sweetness to your smoothies.

Other Great Additions for Your Healthy Smoothie

Coconut Oil is the healthiest fat there is. It contains lauric acid, a rare medium-chain fatty acid (also found in mother's milk) that has many health-protecting properties. Coconut oil gives your healthy smoothie a richer, creamier texture. Because coconut oil is solid below a temperature of 76 degrees F, it doesn't work as well in cold smoothies.

Herbs and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves have higher concentrations of antioxidants than any fruit or vegetable, and add a warm flavor to your healthy smoothie recipe.

Low Calorie Smoothie Recipes

You can use any of the recipes listed on this website to create your own low calorie smoothie recipe. Most of them are already low in calories, since fruits and vegetables are the primary ingredients; use the chart above to select your ingredients and just use a liquid starter that's low in calories, too. Click on the link for the specific type of smoothie you're interested in.