Do you know what Alessandra Ambrosio, Jessica Alba, Blake Lively, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley have in common? Besides the fact that all these Hollywood actresses are amazing beauties with impeccable figures, they all actively use smoothies for weight loss and have their own recipes for this drink.
For example, Alessandra uses them to improve the effectiveness of her workouts, Jessica replaces several meals a day with them, Lively organizes fasting days with them, Paltrow uses them daily, and Rosie starts her morning with them. The result of such a diet is obvious: all girls look great. Shouldn't we follow their example?
What it is
Before losing weight with smoothies, you need to understand what it is and how it differs from the same cold drink. It is a thick sweet (be careful of this! ) drink made from berries, fruits, herbs or vegetables with added juice. The usual recipes therefore include honey, sugar, dried fruit, stevia, molasses, jam, sweeteners and other sweeteners. But as part of a healthy diet and diet, these components are removed, which helps reduce calories.
Unlike fresh juices, smoothies contain not only the liquid part of the components, but also the pulp. Moreover, some peel fruits and vegetables from the seeds, peels and membranes, while others grind all of this "well" so as not to lose a single gram of vitamins. They therefore contain many more nutrients, are more nutritious and provide a lasting feeling of satiety. This is very important for losing weight, because you will not have to fight against the hated hunger, which means that the risk of failure is minimal.
Second difference: a citrus press is used to prepare fresh fruit juices, and a blender or blender is used to make smoothies.
why is it called that?The word "smoothie" dates back to the English "smooth", which translates as "soft, smooth, pleasant. "
Effect on the body
Main benefits of smoothies:
- retain plant fibers, antioxidants and vitamins;
- contain easily digestible carbohydrates, which provide a boost of vivacity, energy, better mood and increased performance;
- have an anti-stress effect;
- strengthen the immune system;
- cleansing the body of waste and toxins;
- improve digestion thanks to fiber;
- satiate and quench thirst at the same time;
- promote weight loss.
The latter property is the most important, since many consider this drink the basis of a diet. And it is not in vain:
- normalization of digestion leads to the fact that fats are not used as reserves, but are converted into useful energy;
- cleansing the intestines can eliminate a few pounds;
- prolonged saturation leads to a decrease in the total daily calorie intake and makes it possible to maintain the diet to the end;
- improving metabolism activates lipolysis;
- removing excess fluid from the body means losing an extra 1-2 kg;
- the elimination of cholesterol plaques also promotes weight loss;
- The puree consistency of cocktails normalizes the water-salt balance.
Smoothies therefore present a continuous benefit for health in general and for weight loss in particular. Of course, to extract it, you have to be able to prepare it correctly. After all, the presence of high-calorie foods and sweeteners in the composition can lead to the opposite result.
Through the pages of history.No one knows exactly who and when invented this drink and called it that. The first version says that the term appeared among hippies, and the second claims that these cocktails were invented by Pacific surfers.
Types
There are different types of smoothies and you need to know which types can be used for weight loss and which cannot.
Fat burning
Some foods contain substances that activate the production of growth hormone. These are vitamin C, taurine, methionine, magnesium and iodine. Under their influence, cells begin to divide intensively (nails thicken, hair stops falling out and becomes thicker, muscle mass increases), requiring additional energy from the body. This leads to the consumption of fat stores.
Another group of foods has what is called "negative calorie content": more energy is spent on their processing than they can provide to the body. And again, fat stores are consumed.
These products are called fat burners, and if you make a smoothie from them, the effect will not be long in coming. Here is their list:
Vegetables:
- broccoli;
- carrot;
- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- savoy cabbage;
- beet;
- pumpkin;
- cauliflower.
Greenery:
- leaf salad;
- rocket;
- celery;
- asparagus;
- spinach;
- sorrel.
Fruits:
- lawyer;
- Pineapple;
- oranges;
- Grapefruits;
- Kiwi;
- lemons;
- mango;
- tangerines;
- apples.
Berries:
- strawberry;
- cranberry;
- raspberries;
- currant;
- blueberry.
Drinks (to be diluted):
- Pineapple juice;
- water;
- green tea;
- kefir;
- mineral water;
- tomato juice.
Fat-burning smoothies are the most effective for eliminating fatty deposits in problem areas of the body, they can be used to lose abdominal fat.
Dietetic
Losing weight is only possible if you burn more calories per day than you consume. As a result, you need to increase physical activity and reduce calorie intake. Diet smoothies made from foods with a minimum calorie content will help with this. They are prepared mainly from vegetables, since berries and fruits contain more sugar.
Recommended products (calorie content less than 40):
| Some products | calories |
|---|---|
| Watermelons | 27 |
| Broccoli | 34 |
| Blueberry | 39 |
| Grapefruits | 35 |
| Melons | 35 |
| Blackberry | 34 |
| Zucchini | 24 |
| Brussels sprouts | 35 |
| Cabbage | 16 |
| Savoy cabbage | 28 |
| Cauliflower | thirty |
| Cranberry | 28 |
| Lemons | 34 |
| Mandarins | 38 |
| Carrot | 35 |
| Sea kale | 25 |
| cucumbers | 14 |
| Pomelo | 38 |
| Tomatoes | 24 |
| leaf lettuce | 16 |
| Celery | 34 |
| Pumpkin | 22 |
| Spinach | 23 |
But it is not recommended to overuse these products (calorie content greater than 50):
| Some products | calories |
|---|---|
| Lawyer | 160 |
| Pineapple | 52 |
| Bananas | 96 |
| Grape | 72 |
| Cherry | 52 |
| Pomegranates | 72 |
| Durian | 147 |
| Potato | 77 |
| mango | 60 |
| Sea buckthorn | 82 |
| Red rowan | 50 |
| Aronia Rowan | 55 |
| Jerusalem artichoke | 61 |
| Feijoa | 61 |
| Khaki | 67 |
| Cherries | 52 |
| Garlic | 149 |
| Blackberry | 50 |
| Rosehip | 109 |
Diet smoothies are recommended for overall weight loss as part of any weight loss program.
Detox
Making smoothies from foods known for their cleansing properties makes excellent detox drinks. They can be used to organize fasting days.
What we cook:
- from green vegetables: lettuce, dill, celery, parsley;
- drinks: mineral water, freshly squeezed fruit juice, green tea;
- from vegetables: beets, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, pumpkins;
- oats and bran;
- from nuts;
- from dried fruits;
- from fruits: plums, apples, cherries, lemons, peaches, pears, apricots, grapefruit, oranges;
- from berries: blackcurrant, strawberry, cranberry, lingonberry, redcurrant.
What we try not to add:
- alcohol;
- coffee;
- seasonings;
- radish;
- spices;
- seeds;
- Black tea;
- spinach;
- sorrel.
Detox smoothies are recommended for general slags of the body, as well as for cleansing certain organs and systems.
Dairy / Protein / Protein
If you dilute fruits and berries in a smoothie with milk, kefir, yogurt or whey, they will become a good source of protein for the body. When losing weight, it plays an important role. With its deficiency, energy begins to be extracted mainly from muscle fibers rather than from fat stores. Their degradation leads to general exhaustion of the body. Proteins prevent this, promote the development of muscle mass and redirect all forces to the burning adipocytes.
Protein smoothies are suitable for those who actively play sports and not only lose weight, but sculpt their body to be slim, beautiful and sculpted.
It's interesting.In American bars, there is a distinction between "thick" and "thin" smoothies. The latter does not contain additional sweeteners and eliminates the natural sugar contained in berries and fruits.
Cooking features
The advantage of smoothies is that they are easy and quick to prepare at home in a blender or blender. However, there are also secrets that can make it even more useful and effective.
General recommendations
Smoothie components: solid (fruits, vegetables, herbs, berries) and liquid (most often juices or water) components. Canned products are not used. But frozen fruits and berries will be useful in hot weather.
To lose weight, you cannot prepare smoothies only from fruits - they contain a lot of fructose and glucose. It is best to dilute with leafy greens and vegetables. All ingredients must be natural, it is better to take seasonal products. They must be washed thoroughly.
Some people recommend removing the skin, seeds, pith, and albedo (the white subcutaneous layer of citrus fruits) from fruits and vegetables because they can contain toxins and result in a softer texture. But everyone decides for themselves. Albedo, for example, has a very high concentration of useful substances.
There is a heated debate over soy milk in smoothies. On the one hand, it reduces the overall calorie content and is ideal for vegetarians. On the other hand, soy is increasingly being talked about as a GMO product.
Many vitamins and minerals are only absorbed with the help of fats. Therefore, it is recommended to add 1 teaspoon of one of the fat-containing products to the smoothie: avocado puree, olive oil or sour cream.
Advice.To properly prepare a smoothie in a blender, you need the highest grinding speed.
Universal recipe
- Squeeze the juice used for dilution.
- Tear the leafy greens with your hands.
- Blend the herbs and freshly squeezed juice (it can be replaced with water, green tea or milk drinks) in a blender for 1 minute.
- Cut the fruits and vegetables into large pieces and add them to the blender with the berries. Beat for 1 to 1. 5 minutes.
- Pour into a glass, decorate on top with mint sprigs (traditional garnish), whole berries and pre-ground nuts (be careful with them: they are very high in calories and can spoil your weight loss results).
Ideal proportions
- Fruit and berry smoothies = 40% leafy greens + 60% fruits and berries.
- Vegetables = 70% vegetables + 30% fruits and berries.
- Greens = 40% vegetables + 40% leafy greens + 20% fruits and berries.
The amount of liquid base is selected "by eye". If you need a nutritious cocktail that acts as a separate dish and replaces a whole meal, add no more than 50 ml per serving (250-300 ml). In summer, to quench your thirst, you can take more liquid - 100-150 ml.
Some supplements in minimal quantities (literally a pinch) will help enhance the fat-burning effect:
- vanillin;
- goji;
- ginger;
- cocoa powder;
- cinnamon;
- Peruvian Poppy;
- nuts;
- protein;
- bee pollen;
- flax, sesame, chia, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower seeds;
- spirulina, kelp, chlorella;
- lemon zest.
Ideal combinations
Fruit:
- banana + pineapple + green apple + spinach;
- banana + peach + cucumber + lettuce;
- banana + dates + avocado + lettuce + soy milk + cinnamon powder;
- banana + green apple + strawberry;
- green apple + apricot + carrots + spinach;
- green apple + kiwi + strawberry;
- green apple + strawberry + blackcurrant.
Vegetables:
- bell pepper + green apple + lettuce + pumpkin seeds;
- carrots + green apple + cucumber + avocado + spinach;
- carrots + beets + cucumber + green apple + lettuce + parsley;
- carrots + celery + green apple;
- cucumber + broccoli + pineapple;
- pumpkin + carrots.
Green:
- banana + pineapple + spinach + avocado;
- banana + green apple + lettuce;
- green apple + celery stalks + lettuce + spinach + parsley + almond milk;
- mango + cucumber + lettuce.
If you make your own recipe, don't forget the golden rule: the ideal drink does not include more than 5 solid ingredients, 1 to 2 spices and 1 liquid to dilute.
You cannot add ice cream, jam, sugar or any other sweeteners that increase calorie content and harm weight loss.
Interesting fact.In American bars, smoothies are also divided into types depending on the effect they produce. Before ordering, the customer is asked what exactly he wants: to relax or cheer up, cheer up or calm down, quench his thirst or eat.
Weight loss plans
Once you've mastered the art of making smoothies, it's time to choose a weight loss program and learn how to drink it correctly. The results will also largely depend on this.
First you need to distribute its types by meal:
- for breakfast it is better to drink the most high-calorie fruit smoothies that will give you energy for the whole day;
- for lunch, make them as nutritious and thick as possible, vegetable-based and multi-ingredient ones are suitable;
- For dinner, greens would be an ideal option, as they improve digestion, preparing the gastrointestinal tract for a night's rest;
- at lunch and snack, before or after training (+/- half an hour), drink protein smoothies - they will preserve muscle mass;
- In the evening, you can drink a one-ingredient drink (for example, orange or strawberry) with a small addition of low-fat kefir.
Now let's move directly to the weight loss plans.
Fasting day
During the day, you need to drink 2. 5 liters of plain water and 1 liter of low-calorie detox smoothie in small portions (it is better to take the simplest recipes, from 1-2 products). During the first 2 months, organize these unloadings once a week, then once every 2 weeks. The result is minus 1-1. 5 kg per day.
Mono-diet
You will have to completely abandon solid foods and replace all meals with smoothies. It can be different, it can come from some specific products (for example, focusing on vegetables, greens or fruits). A significant disadvantage of such weight loss is intestinal problems at the end of the diet, because the stomach no longer gets used to digesting solid foods. Duration - from 3 to 7 days, no more. The result is minus 3-4 kg.
Diet
The smoothie diet does not consist of replacing all meals with these drinks, but only one or two. This allows you to avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Generally, breakfast is chosen because it is important to have a boost of energy for the day in the morning, and/or instead of dinner to make it easier for the stomach to work in the evening. Duration: 1 to 2 weeks. The result is minus 5-6 kg.
As a sports supplement
As part of a healthy diet or any other diet, protein smoothies can be drunk not only to lose weight, but also to maintain and build muscle mass. To do this, you need to drink the drink 30-60 minutes before training and at the same time after it.
Regular use
To maintain normal weight and not gain extra pounds, it is useful to drink a glass of diet smoothie at lunch or as a snack as a preventive measure as part of a healthy diet.
A spoonful of tar.Frequent consumption of smoothies leads to the development of dental caries.
Recipes
Since the blender still has much lower power and whipping speed, we offer recipes for a blender that is ideal for making smoothies.
*Note.The calorie content of each dish is indicated per 100 ml of drink, and not based on the proportions prescribed in the recipe.
Vegetable Smoothies
- Pumpkin (40 kcal)
Coarsely chop the pumpkin pulp (250 g) and 1 banana. Pour 100 ml of 1% kefir. Beat in a blender.
- Broccoli (75 kcal)
Tear lettuce leaves (50 g) with your hands and pour in 200 ml of 1% kefir. Beat in a blender. Add chopped broccoli (150 g), add coriander seeds (10 g). Mix.
A hearty broccoli drink can replace a full lunch. It is also called cream soup.
- Beets (90 kcal)
Tear the spinach (150 g) and asparagus (250 g) into large pieces with your hands. Pour in the beet juice (150 ml), beat with a mixer. Add the boiled beets (150 g), cut into large pieces, and 2 figs. Beat the ingredients again.
This dish makes an even more delicious lunch than broccoli.
- Carrot (79 kcal)
Chop 1 carrot and 1 green apple. Pour 100 ml of 1. 5% milk and 100 ml of Greek yogurt. Add 50 g of oatmeal. Beat in a blender.
A fruit smoothie
- Kiwi (63 kcal)
Chop 2 kiwis, add 50 g of oatmeal, pour 200 ml of low-fat kefir.
- With pineapple (60 kcal)
Chop 1 banana, 1 hard pear, 100 g pineapple, add 5 strawberries. Pour in 100 ml of soy milk. Beat.
- With grapefruit (80 kcal)
Cut ½ grapefruit and ½ orange (without white fibers) into large pieces, pour over 200 ml of low-fat yogurt without additives or colorings. Beat in a blender.
- Avocado (100 kcal)
Grind 50 g of parsley, dill, coriander leaves. Pour 200 ml of still mineral water. Beat. Cut 2 cucumbers, 2 avocados into pieces, add them to the green mass. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Pour 50 ml of lemon juice. Mix with a blender.
A very satisfying and tasty drink that can easily replace any meal.
- Banana (60 kcal)
Coarsely chop 200 g of banana pulp, 150 g of kiwi, add 5-6 pitted plums. Pour in low-fat natural yogurt (200 ml). For taste, add 10 g of honey.
Green Smoothies
- Celery (44 kcal)
Mix the chopped parsley, dill and rocket to make a total of 200g. Chop 3 stalks of celery. Add 200 ml of kefir (minimum fat content), ½ tsp. olive oil. Beat in a blender.
- With spinach (47 kcal)
Tear 100 g of spinach, pour 100 ml of chilled green tea. Beat. Add 50 g of green apple and the kiwi cut into pieces.
- With spinach and celery (30 kcal)
Pour large pieces of spinach leaves and celery stalks (100 g each) with mineral water (100 ml). Mix in a blender. Add 50 g of green apple, kiwi and cucumber. Beat again.
"Star" recipes
- Green from Alessandra Ambrosio (50 kcal)
Tear 400 g of spinach, pour in 400 ml of almond milk. Beat. Cut 1 apple and 1 banana into pieces, add them to the spinach-milk mixture along with 50 g of oatmeal. Add a pinch of cinnamon and a tablespoon of coconut oil. Stir again.
Divide into 2 portions and drink half an hour before training and half an hour after.
- Jessica Alba cabbage (58 kcal)
Coarsely chop the kale (400 g), mix with Greek yogurt (200 ml). Add 50 g of raspberries and blackberries, 20 ml of honey. Beat again.
Drink instead of breakfast or lunch.
- Apple from Blake Lively (54 kcal)
Coarsely chopped celery stalks (100 g), chopped coriander (10 g) and pour in coconut water (100 ml). Mix. Add the chopped kiwi (2 pieces), avocado (1 piece). Mix in a blender.
This is how Blake Lively organizes fasting days.
- Coconut by Gwyneth Paltrow (45 kcal)
Chop the flesh of 1 coconut, pour in coconut milk from the same fruit, add 100 ml of aloe juice and 20 g of chopped coriander. Beat.
Paltrow claims that with regular consumption of this drink, fasting days are not necessary: it perfectly cleanses all organs and systems of toxins.
- With chia seeds from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (59 kcal)
Pour the chopped cabbage (200 g) with the coconut milk (200 ml). Mix. Add the avocado (1 pc. ), the apple (½), the chia seeds (10 g). Beat in a blender.
Rosie drinks this drink every morning instead of breakfast.
Winter Smoothies
- Chocolate (109 kcal)
Mix the frozen raspberries (250 g), honey (10 g), low-fat fermented cooked milk (100 ml), dark chocolate (30 g) in a blender.
- Apple (30 kcal)
Apples can be found on store shelves all year round, so you can use them to prepare diet drinks even in winter. 100 g of greens (necessary in the cold season to increase immunity) pour 200 ml of mineral water. Add 100 g of chopped apples and as much kiwi. Beat again.
- Mandarin (48 kcal)
Pour 100 ml of low-fat kefir and 100 ml of orange juice into the slices of three tangerines. Beat. Add some frozen berries on top. A great option for losing weight during the New Year holidays.
Other recipes
- With oatmeal (79 kcal)
Cut 1 slightly green banana, add 100 ml of soy milk and 100 ml of Greek yogurt. Beat. Add 50 g of oatmeal, a pinch of cinnamon and 10 ml of honey. Mix.
- Kefir (43 kcal)
Pour 50 g of crushed wheat germ with 200 ml of low-fat kefir and 50 ml of natural yogurt. Mix. Add 100 g of strawberries and 10 ml of honey. Beat again.
- With cottage cheese (62 kcal)
Mix 400 g of low-fat cottage cheese, 150 g of blueberries, 200 ml of skimmed milk. The ideal protein drink recipe for athletes.
These are the best smoothies for weight loss, recommended by nutritionists and boasting many positive reviews. Be sure to try different recipes to see which one works best for you. All organisms are so different that some lost weight thanks to banana smoothies, despite their high calorie content, while for others it is enough to drink a glass of green tea every day to maintain their normal figure.