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 incredibly beautiful with perfect figures, they all actively use smoothies for weight loss and have their own recipes for these drinks.
For example, Alessandra uses them to increase the effectiveness of her workouts, Jessica replaces several meals a day with them, Lively arranges fasting days with them, Paltrow uses them every day, and Rosie starts her morning with them. The results of such a diet are obvious: all the girls look amazing. Shouldn't we follow their example?
What's that
Before you lose weight with smoothies, you need to find out what they are and how they differ from the same fresh drinks. This is a sweet thick drink (pay attention to this! ) made from berries, fruits, herbs or vegetables with the addition of juice. Commonly used recipes include honey, sugar, dried fruit, stevia, molasses, jam, sweeteners and other sweeteners. However, as part of a healthy diet and diet, these components are removed, thereby helping to reduce calories.
Unlike fresh juice, smoothies contain not only the liquid part of the components, but also the pulp. Moreover, there are those who peel fruits and vegetables from seeds, peel and membranes, others grind all this "goodness" so as not to lose a single gram of vitamins. Therefore, it contains more nutrients, is more nutritious and provides a long-lasting feeling of fullness. This is very important for losing weight, because you do not have to fight the hated feeling of hunger, which means the risk of failure is minimal.
Second difference: a juicer is used to make fresh juice, and a blender or mixer is used to make smoothies.
Why is it called that?The word "smoothie" comes from the English "smooth, " which translates to "soft, smooth, pleasant. "
Effects on the body
Main benefits of smoothies:
- retains plant fiber, antioxidants and vitamins;
- contains easily digestible carbohydrates, which provide a boost of vigor, energy, improved mood and increased performance;
- has anti-stress effect;
- strengthens the immune system;
- cleanse the body of waste and toxins;
- improves digestion thanks to fiber;
- satisfies and quenches thirst at once;
- promotes weight loss.
The last property is the most important, because many consider this drink to be the basis of a diet. And it's not in vain:
- normalization of digestion leads to the fact that fat is not used as a reserve, but is converted into useful energy;
- cleansing the intestines can remove several kilograms;
- prolonged saturation leads to a decrease in the total daily calorie intake and allows you to maintain the diet to the end;
- improves metabolism activates lipolysis;
- removing excess fluid from the body means losing another 1-2 kg;
- removing cholesterol plaques also promotes weight loss;
- The puree-like consistency of the cocktail normalizes the water-salt balance.
So smoothies have one ongoing benefit for health in general and weight loss in particular. True, to extract it, you need to be able to prepare it properly. After all, the presence of high-calorie foods and sweeteners in the composition can lead to the opposite result.
Through the pages of history.Nobody 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 version states that such a cocktail was invented by Pacific surfers.
Type
There are different types of smoothies, and you need to know which ones can be used for weight loss and which ones can't.
Burn fat
Some foods contain substances that activate the production of growth hormone. These are vitamin C, taurine, methionine, magnesium and iodine. Under its 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 consumption of fat reserves.
Other food groups have the so-called "negative calorie content": more energy is spent on their processing than can be provided to the body. And again fat reserves 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's the list:
Vegetables:
- Broccoli;
- carrot;
- cucumber;
- tomato;
- savoy cabbage;
- beets;
- pumpkin;
- cauliflower.
Greenery:
- lettuce;
- arugula;
- celery;
- asparagus;
- spinach;
- sorrel.
Fruits:
- avocado;
- pineapple;
- orange;
- wine;
- Kiwi;
- lemon;
- Mango;
- tangerine;
- Apple.
berries:
- strawberry;
- cranberry;
- raspberry;
- raisins;
- blueberries.
Drinks (for dilution):
- Pineapple juice;
- water;
- green tea;
- kefir;
- mineral water;
- tomato juice.
Fat burning smoothies are the most effective for removing fat deposits in problem areas of the body, and can be used to remove belly fat.
Diet
Losing weight is only possible if you burn more calories per day than you consume. Therefore, you need to increase physical activity and reduce calorie intake. Diet smoothies made from foods with a minimum number of calories will help with this. They are mainly made from vegetables, as berries and fruits contain more sugar.
Recommended products (calorie content below 40):
| Product | Kcal |
|---|---|
| Watermelon | 27 |
| Broccoli | 34 |
| blueberries | 39 |
| wine | 35 |
| Melon | 35 |
| Blackberries | 34 |
| Zucchini | 24 |
| Brussels sprouts | 35 |
| Cabbage | 16 |
| Savoy Cabbage | 28 |
| Cauliflower | thirty |
| Cranberry | 28 |
| Lemon | 34 |
| tangerine | 38 |
| Carrot | 35 |
| sea kale | 25 |
| cucumber | 14 |
| Pomelo | 38 |
| Tomato | 24 |
| Lettuce | 16 |
| Celery | 34 |
| Pumpkin | 22 |
| Spinach | 23 |
But it is not recommended to abuse this product (calorie content above 50):
| Product | Kcal |
|---|---|
| Avocado | 160 |
| Pineapple | 52 |
| Banana | 96 |
| Wine | 72 |
| cherry | 52 |
| Grenade | 72 |
| Durian | 147 |
| potato | 77 |
| Mango | 60 |
| Sea buckthorn | 82 |
| red mountain ash | 50 |
| Rowan chokeberry | 55 |
| Jerusalem Artichoke | 61 |
| Feijoa | 61 |
| Persimmon | 67 |
| Cherry | 52 |
| Garlic | 149 |
| Mulberry | 50 |
| Rose hips | 109 |
Diet smoothies are recommended for overall weight loss as part of any weight loss program.
Detoxification
Making a smoothie from foods known for their cleansing properties can be an excellent detox drink. They can be used to organize fasting days.
Ingredients we cook:
- from vegetables: lettuce, dill, celery, parsley;
- from drinks: mineral water, fresh juices, green tea;
- from vegetables: beets, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, pumpkin;
- from wheat and bran;
- from nuts;
- from dried fruits;
- from fruits: plums, apples, cherries, lemons, peaches, pears, apricots, grapefruits, oranges;
- from berries: black currant, strawberry, cranberry, lingonberry, gooseberry.
What we try not to add:
- alcohol;
- coffee;
- spice;
- turnip;
- herbs and spices;
- seed;
- Black tea;
- spinach;
- sorrel.
Detox smoothies are recommended for eliminating toxins in the body in general, as well as for cleansing specific organs and systems.
Milk / protein / protein
If you dilute fruits and berries in a smoothie with milk, kefir, yogurt or whey, they will be a good source of protein for the body. During weight loss, it plays an important role. With its deficiency, energy begins to be taken mainly from muscle fibers, and not from fat reserves. Their damage leads to general depletion of the body. Protein prevents this, promotes the formation of muscle mass and redirects all forces to burning adipocytes.
Protein smoothies are suitable for those of you who are active in sports and don't just want to lose weight, but also want to shape your body so that it is slim, beautiful and sculpted.
This is interesting.In American bars, there is a distinction between "thick" and "thin" smoothies. The latter contains no added sweeteners and eliminates the natural sugar contained in berries and fruits.
Cooking features
The good thing about smoothies is that they are easy and quick to prepare at home with a blender or mixer. However, there are also secrets here that can make it more useful and effective.
General recommendations
Smoothie components: solid components (fruits, vegetables, herbs, berries) and liquid components (most often juice or water). Canned product is not used. But frozen fruits and berries will come in handy in hot weather.
To lose weight, you cannot make smoothies only from fruit - they contain a lot of fructose and glucose. Better to dilute it with 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 on citrus fruits) from fruits and vegetables because they may contain toxins and lead to a softer texture. But everyone decides for himself. Albedo, for example, has a very high concentration of beneficial substances.
There is a heated debate about soy milk in smoothies. On the one hand, it reduces the overall calorie content and is ideal for vegetarians. On the other hand, recently there has been increasing talk about soybeans as a GMO product.
Many vitamins and minerals are absorbed only with the help of fat. Therefore, it is recommended to add 1 teaspoon of any product containing fat to the smoothie: avocado pulp, olive oil or sour cream.
Advice.To properly prepare smoothies in a blender, you need the highest grinding speed.
Versatile recipe
- Squeeze the juice used for dilution.
- Tear green leafy vegetables with your hands.
- Puree the herbs and fresh juice (can be replaced with water, green tea or milk drink) in a blender for 1 minute.
- Cut fruits and vegetables into large pieces and add them to the blender along with the berries. Beat for 1-1. 5 minutes.
- Pour into glasses, garnish on top with mint sprigs (a traditional garnish), whole berries and ground nuts (be careful: they are very high in calories and can harm your weight loss results).
Ideal proportions
- Fruit and berry smoothie = 40% green leafy vegetables + 60% fruit and berries.
- Vegetables = 70% vegetables + 30% fruits and berries.
- Greens = 40% vegetables + 40% green leafy vegetables + 20% fruits and berries.
The amount of liquid base is selected "by eye". If you want to get a nutritious cocktail that serves 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 consume more fluids - 100-150 ml.
Several supplements in minimal amounts (literally a pinch) will help increase the fat burning effect:
- vanilla;
- goji;
- ginger;
- cocoa powder;
- cinnamon;
- Peruvian poppy;
- Crazy;
- proteins;
- bee pollen;
- hemp, sesame, chia, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower seeds;
- spirulina, seaweed, chlorella;
- lemon zest.
The ideal combination
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 + carrot + spinach;
- green apple + kiwi + strawberry;
- green apple + strawberry + black currant.
Vegetables:
- bell pepper + green apple + lettuce + pumpkin seeds;
- carrot + green apple + cucumber + avocado + spinach;
- carrot + beet + cucumber + green apple + lettuce + parsley;
- carrot + celery + green apple;
- cucumber + broccoli + pineapple;
- pumpkin + carrot.
Green:
- banana + pineapple + spinach + avocado;
- banana + green apple + lettuce;
- green apple + celery stalk + lettuce + spinach + parsley + almond milk;
- mango + cucumber + lettuce.
If you create your own recipe, remember the golden rule: the ideal drink contains no more than 5 solid ingredients, 1-2 spices and 1 liquid for dilution.
You should not add ice cream, jam, sugar or other sweeteners that increase the calorie content and are harmful to weight loss.
Interesting fact.In American bars, smoothies are also divided into several types depending on the effect they have. Before ordering, the client is asked what exactly he wants: relax or cheer up, cheer up or calm down, quench his thirst or eat.
Weight loss plan
Once you've mastered the art of making smoothies, it's time to choose a weight loss program and learn how to drink them properly. The results will also depend greatly on this.
First you need to distribute the types by food:
- for breakfast, it is better to drink the most high-calorie fruit smoothie that will give you energy for the whole day;
- for lunch, make it as nutritious and thick as possible, vegetables and multi-ingredient are suitable;
- For dinner, the ideal choice is green, as it improves digestion, preparing the digestive tract for a night's rest;
- for lunch and afternoon snack, before or after training (+/- half an hour), drink a protein smoothie - they will maintain muscle mass;
- In the evening, you can drink a one-ingredient drink (eg orange or strawberry) with a little added low-fat kefir.
Now straight to the weight loss plan.
fasting day
During the day, you need to drink 2. 5 liters of water and 1 liter of low-calorie detox smoothie in small portions (it is better to take the simplest recipe, from 1-2 products). For the first 2 months, arrange such unloading every week, then once every 2 weeks. The result is minus 1-1. 5 kg per day.
Mono diet
You should completely abandon solid foods and replace all meals with smoothies. It can be different, it can be from several specific products (for example, focusing on greens, greens or fruit). A significant drawback of such weight loss is intestinal upset at the end of the diet, as the stomach becomes unaccustomed to digesting solid foods. Duration - from 3 to 7 days, no longer. The result is minus 3-4 kg.
Diet
The smoothie diet does not mean replacing all foods with these drinks, but only once or twice. This allows you to avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Usually breakfast is chosen because it is important to get additional energy in the morning, and/or as a substitute for dinner to ease the stomach's work at night. Duration: 1-2 weeks. The result is minus 5-6 kg.
As a sports supplement
Against the background of a healthy diet or any diet, protein smoothies can be drunk not only for weight loss, but also for maintaining and building muscle mass. To do this, you need to drink the drink 30-60 minutes before training and the same time after.
Regular use
To maintain a normal weight and not gain extra pounds, it is a good idea to drink a glass of diet smoothie for lunch or afternoon snack as a preventive measure against the background of a healthy diet.
a spoonful of tar.Frequent consumption of smoothies causes the development of dental caries.
Recipe
Since mixers still have much lower whipping power and speed, we offer you a blender recipe that is ideal for making smoothies.
*Notes.The calorie content of each dish is indicated per 100 ml of drink, and not based on the proportions specified in the recipe.
Vegetable smoothies
- From pumpkin (40 kcal)
Coarsely chop the flesh of the pumpkin (250 g) and 1 banana. Pour in 100 ml of 1% kefir. Beat in a blender.
- From 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 delicious broccoli drink can replace a full lunch. It is also called cream soup.
- From beets (90 kcal)
Tear the spinach (150 g) and asparagus (250 g) into large pieces with your hands. Pour in beet juice (150 ml), beat in a blender. Add boiled beets (150 g), chopped large, and 2 figs. Beat the ingredients again.
This dish makes lunch even better than broccoli.
- Carrots (79 kcal)
Cut 1 carrot and 1 green apple. Pour in 100 ml of 1. 5% milk and 100 ml of Greek yoghurt. Add 50 grams of oatmeal. Beat in a blender.
Fruit juice
- From kiwi (63 kcal)
Cut 2 kiwis, add 50 g of oatmeal, pour in 200 ml of low-fat kefir.
- With pineapple (60 kcal)
Cut 1 banana, 1 hard pear, 100 g pineapple, add 5 strawberries. Pour in 100 ml of soy milk. Defeat.
- With grapefruit (80 kcal)
Cut ½ grapefruit and ½ orange (without white fibers) into large pieces, pour 200 ml of low-fat yogurt without additives or coloring on top. Beat in a blender.
- From avocado (100 kcal)
Puree 50 g parsley, dill, coriander leaves. Pour in 200 ml of still mineral water. Defeat. Cut 2 cucumbers, 2 avocados, add to the green mass. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Pour in 50 ml of lemon juice. Mix with a blender.
A very filling and delicious drink that can easily replace any meal.
- Banana (60 kcal)
Coarsely chop 200 g banana flesh, 150 g kiwi, add 5-6 pitted plums. Pour in natural low-fat yoghurt (200 ml). To enhance taste, add 10 g of honey.
Green smoothies
- From celery (44 kcal)
Mix chopped parsley, dill and arugula to make a total of 200 g. Chop 3 stalks of celery. Add 200 ml kefir (minimal fat content), ½ tsp. olive oil. Beat in a blender.
- With spinach (47 kcal)
Tear 100 g of spinach, pour 100 ml of cold green tea. Defeat. Add 50 g of green apple and 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 green apple, kiwi and cucumber. Beat again.
Recipe "Star".
- Green by Alessandra Ambrosio (50 kcal)
Shred 400 gr spinach, pour 400 ml almond milk. Defeat. Cut 1 apple and 1 banana into pieces, add 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.
- Cabbage from Jessica Alba (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 as a substitute for breakfast or lunch.
- Apple from Blake Lively (54 kcal)
Coarsely chopped celery stalks (100 g), chopped coriander leaves (10 g) and pour coconut water (100 ml). Mix. Add chopped kiwi (2 pcs. ), avocado (1 pc. ). Mix in a blender.
This is how Blake Lively organizes fasting days.
- Coconut from Gwyneth Paltrow (45 kcal)
Chop the flesh of 1 coconut, pour in coconut milk from the same fruit, add 100 ml of aloe vera juice and 20 g of chopped coriander leaves. Defeat.
Paltrow claims that with regular use of this drink, fasting days are not necessary: it perfectly cleanses all organs and systems from toxins.
- With chia seeds from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (59 kcal)
Pour chopped cabbage (200 g) with coconut milk (200 ml). Mix. Add avocado (1 pc. ), apple (½), chia seeds (10 g). Beat in a blender.
Rosie drinks this drink every morning as a substitute for breakfast.
Winter smoothie
- Chocolate (109 kcal)
Combine frozen raspberries (250 g), honey (10 g), low-fat fermented baked milk (100 ml), dark chocolate (30 g) in a blender.
- apple (30 kcal)
Apples are on store shelves all year round, so you can use them to make diet drinks even in winter. 100 g of any greenery (needed in winter to increase immunity) pour 200 ml of mineral water. Add 100 g of chopped apple and the same amount of kiwi. Beat again.
- Tangerines (48 kcal)
Pour 100 ml of low-fat kefir and 100 ml of orange juice into the slices of three tangerines. Defeat. Add some frozen berries on top. A great option for losing weight during the New Year holidays.
Another recipe
- With oatmeal (79 kcal)
Cut 1 slightly unripe banana, add 100 ml soy milk and 100 ml Greek yogurt. Defeat. Add 50 g of oatmeal, a pinch of cinnamon and 10 ml of honey. Mix.
- From kefir (43 kcal)
Pour 50 g of crushed wheat sprouts with 200 ml of low-fat kefir and 50 ml of natural yogurt. Mix. Add 100 g strawberries and 10 ml honey. Beat again.
- With cottage cheese (62 kcal)
Mix 400 g low-fat cottage cheese, 150 g blueberries, 200 ml low-fat milk. The ideal protein drink recipe for athletes.
This is the best smoothie for weight loss, recommended by nutritionists and has many positive reviews. Be sure to try different recipes to see which works best for you. All organisms are so different that some people lose weight thanks to banana smoothies, despite their high calorie content, while others simply drink a glass of green tea every day to maintain their normal shape.