Smoothies are delicious and the convenience is hard to beat. Blending fruits and veggies along with a creamy base like milk, yogurt or protein powder is an easy way to get a portable and slurp-able meal —but are smoothies good for you?

Novant Health Rregistered dietitian Kelly Homesley shares how smartly constructed smoothies can help you meet your nutritional goals.

Are smoothies healthy to drink?

Kelly Homesley
Kelly Homesley

They definitely can be. Here are several specific scenarios where they can be a great addition to your diet:

  • To help you eat healthy ingredients that you don’t normally like: For example, if you would never put spinach on your plate but you’re willing to drink spinach blended into a smoothie as long as you can’t taste it — then a smoothie got you to eat something good for you. That’s a win!
  • If you don’t eat vegetables until dinner: Some people don’t eat a vegetable until dinner. If that’s you, a breakfast or lunch smoothie that incorporates vegetables could help you boost your overall veggie total for the day.
  • When you’re busy or tired: If your Wednesday is so jam-packed you don’t have time for lunch, sipping a smoothie during a meeting is better than skipping a meal. Or if you just worked a 12-hour shift, you may not have the energy to roast veggies and chicken when you get home — but a smoothie could get you the same protein and fiber in five minutes. Smoothies can be a shortcut to meeting your nutritional needs.
  • For rehydrating: If you’ve been doing yard work on a hot day or just finished an intense workout, a smoothie can help get some fluids, protein, and carbohydrates back in your system.

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Is drinking smoothies better than eating unprocessed whole foods?

If you’re willing to prepare and eat the ingredients you would put into a smoothie without blending them, some research suggests that you may benefit slightly more from eating them whole, since whole foods may keep people satisfied longer than liquid food. This topic is still being studied.

But if a smoothie enables you to eat a nutritious ingredient or meal that you otherwise wouldn’t have eaten, and if you find them satisfying and filling until your next meal, sip away and know that you are making a healthy choice.

Can I replace meals with smoothies?

Ideally, most people should eat varied, fiber-and-protein-rich meals and snacks every three to four hours to stabilize blood sugar and optimize digestion. If you are already doing that without smoothies, you don’t need to add smoothies to “get healthier.”

But if you want to replace up to one meal or snack per day with a smoothie and you’ll commit to eating real food at the other meals, go for it.

And if you normally skip a meal, but you’d be willing to drink one? Schedule a smoothie in that slot, since skipping meals damages your metabolism and makes it difficult to meet all your nutritional needs.

How do I make a healthy smoothie?

Include these four things:

  1. Fruit and vegetables: Use roughly 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit. After that, throw in vegetables like spinach, kale, carrots, or frozen cauliflower or broccoli to your heart’s content. Ideally, aim for 80% vegetables and 20% fruit.
  2. A liquid: Your smoothie “base” can be water, milk (Homesley likes Fairlife milk since it has extra protein), kefir, soy milk or a pre-made protein shake. Don’t use juice; it has too much sugar and not enough fiber. For an extra-fast smoothie, blend up a pre-mixed liquid protein shake base (such as a Premier Protein or Fairlife Protein Shake) and a frozen banana. Done!
  3. A protein: Add a protein unless you already used a protein shake for your liquid. Options include Greek yogurt, ground flaxseed, powdered peanut butter like PB2, or 1 to 2 scoops of a whey, soy or pea protein powder. Ideally, your protein choice will contribute 150 calories or less to your smoothie. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a protein powder; a generic protein powder from a grocery or big box store is not much different from the priciest protein powder at a specialty nutrition store.
  4. A healthy fat: Including a healthy fat will help you stay full and satisfied longer and can help your body absorb certain vitamins. Try avocado, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, a nut butter or a few almonds.

Whatever protein and liquid you choose should have a “single digit” number in the sugar and fat column of its nutrition facts. For example: a protein powder with 5 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fat fits the bill.

If you’re drinking a smoothie in place of a meal, it should be around 300 to 400 calories, with 20 to 30 grams of protein total. If your smoothie is replacing a snack, aim for a smaller portion of around 150 to 250 calories.

What should I leave out of my smoothie?

  1. Excessive protein powder: Consuming any more than 30 grams of protein in one meal won’t benefit your body.
  2. Supplements: There’s no need for pricey greens powder or collagen powder if you’re eating a balanced diet.
  3. Pre-made smoothie packs: These are often expensive, don’t always have a good balance of fruits and vegetables and sometimes have extra sugar added. Buying store-brand frozen fruit and freezing your own bananas is often half the price of these premade packs. If you do want to use premade smoothie packs, make sure they follow the 80/20 rule, and include no more than 1 cup of fruit and no additional ingredients beyond produce.

How can I order a healthy smoothie at a takeout place?

If weight loss or management is your goal, read the nutrition facts and ingredients carefully online before visiting the smoothie shop. Some store-made smoothies can have as many calories as a double cheeseburger and fries.

But it’s not impossible to order a healthy smoothie out; just pick or customize your order to follow all the rules above. If that’s not an option, try to pick a small smoothie without juices, added sugars or supplements.

The “drink your greens” smoothie

Recipe adapted from eatingwell.com. Serves 1.

If you haven’t tried a green smoothie before, you may be hesitant — but we promise, you won’t taste the greens once everything is blended together. We suggest peeling your banana, slicing it into chunks, and freezing it for at least six hours before you make this recipe for the creamiest texture.

A few notes: The recipe calls for kale, but feel free to use spinach instead or to use a 50/50 blend of kale and spinach. The important part is that something green is going in there! If you don’t like almond milk, feel free to substitute with an unsweetened oat milk. Finally, this recipe is a little more caloric than our suggested 300-400 calories, but it still has a good overall nutritional profile for a meal replacement smoothie.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

  • 1 medium ripe banana, peeled, cut into chunks, and frozen

  • 1 cup kale or spinach leaves, chopped

  • 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

  • 1/4 medium avocado

  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Add ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth.

Serve immediately.

Yields: 1 serving. Per serving: 465 calories; 11.3 g fat; 20.9 mg cholesterol; 659.7 mg sodium; 58.7 g carbohydrate; 31.6 g sugar; 27 g protein

Blueberry smoothie bowl: if you want to skip the straw

Recipe adapted from prevention.com. Serves 2.

If you prefer to eat your smoothie with a spoon, this thicker recipe’s for you (and a friend or family member — note the two-person serving size). Top it with a little granola for delicious crunch.

Ingredients:

Bowl:

  • 1 cup frozen blueberries

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond butter

  • 1 1/2 scoops protein powder

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Toppings:

  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/4 cup vanilla granola
  • Optional: Sliced almonds, hemp seeds, cinnamon
Preparation:

Puree frozen blueberries, almond milk, protein powder, almond butter and vanilla extract until creamy. Divide between two bowls.

Top each bowl with fresh blueberries and granola. Feel free to add additional toppings if desired.

Yields: 2 servings. Per serving: 300 calories; 12.1 g fat; 18.7 mg cholesterol; 102.6 mg sodium; 33.7 g carbohydrate; 17.8 g sugar; 16.7 g protein (Note: Adding optional ingredients will change nutrition facts.)