Diet cocktails in a blender for weight loss: recipes

Giving up sweets is one of the most difficult challenges that anyone who loses weight has to face. Fortunately, there are many delicious cocktails that can satisfy your sweet tooth without harming your figure.

Such cocktails are not just dietary, but also healthy. They contain many substances and components that are valuable for health, speed up metabolism, and, therefore, help you lose calories. Drinking such drinks for breakfast will have a positive effect on the body and will give you a good mood for the whole day.

How healthy are smoothies?

Nutritionists have mixed opinions about fruit and vegetable smoothies in a blender. “Fruit smoothies, of course, cannot be called a harmful product, but at the same time, I would not rush to replace whole fruits with them,” says Anna Korobkina, a dietitian-nutritionist . — By and large, the most valuable thing in fruits for us is dietary fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. Fructose and glucose, which are found in fruits and berries, are simple sugars. In whole fruits they coexist with dietary fiber, which reduces the glycemic index of the product. Glucose takes longer to digest to be used as energy, it won't cause a huge spike in insulin." In smoothies, dietary fiber is destroyed, which increases the glycemic index, which means the smoothie can cause sharp fluctuations in blood sugar.

Therefore, those losing weight should include smoothies on the menu, following some rules.

Reviews

Marina, 35 years old

When I need to lose 2-3 kg, I replace my usual dinner with a vegetable smoothie. I really like cucumber-celery, it has a refreshing taste, quenches thirst well and curbs appetite. Only 3-5 days of such a replacement, and minus 3 kg on the scales. At the same time, I feel great, I work out in the gym with a trainer, I have enough energy for everything.

Anna, 37 years old

I can't stand exhausting diets, they are very difficult for me to stick to, so I found a better alternative in smoothies. In the morning I prepare a fruit drink (banana, cinnamon, apple and lemon juice), and in the evening I make a vegetable smoothie and add a spoonful of bran to it. In 1.5 weeks I lost 3.5 kg, although I wasn’t particularly hungry and felt good. I like this method of losing weight, especially since there are a huge number of recipes, you can make different drinks every day.

You can lose weight with cocktails, and this is proven by the positive reviews of those who have tried it. Do not forget about the basic rule - no sugar, salt, cream, only natural fruits, berries, dairy products. Eat right: exclude simple carbohydrates as much as possible (bread, milk chocolate, cookies, candies and other sweets), do not drink alcohol and lead an active lifestyle. If you follow these recommendations, losing weight will not be difficult, and the results will not be long in coming.

Diet cocktails in a blender: instructions for use

*Don't overuse them . “Drink smoothies no more than 1-2 times a day,” says Anna Ivashkevich, nutritionist, clinical psychologist-dietitian, member of the National Association of Clinical Nutrition .

* Do not replace main meals and especially breakfast with cocktails in a blender. “If you drink a fruit smoothie on an empty stomach, your blood glucose levels will likely spike,” reminds Anna Ivashkevich. - Plus, when drinking smoothies (which themselves are quite liquid), we do not have the process of chewing food and the brain does not receive information about what we are eating. Therefore, there is a risk that after a short period of time you will want to eat again.”

* It is optimal to use smoothies as a snack. “You shouldn’t replace dessert with them. Fruit acids contained in smoothies will adversely affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract after the main meal, says Anna Korobkina. “Smoothies are especially useful after physical activity, when it is necessary to replenish glycogen, during the so-called “anabolic” window, because it is an ideal, easily digestible product.”

* Add a protein component to all fruit smoothies . “Combine fruits with protein foods - yogurt, or better yet, cottage cheese. These products will help slow down the absorption of fructose and reduce the glycemic index of the cocktail,” adds Anna Korobkina.

By the way, you can also make smoothies with kefir.

* Control the amount of fruit in your smoothie. “Our body on average needs 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, of which 2-3 servings are fruits. The easiest way to determine the size of one serving is to use the palm rule (one serving fits in your palm), conventionally this is 100 g. But when we make smoothies only from fruits and berries, their quantity in one drink exceeds the required norm. Therefore, it is not surprising that by drinking such smoothies several times a day, you will not lose weight, but gain weight,” warns Anna Korobkina.

* Do not add unnecessary ingredients to cocktails for losing weight. This applies to sugar, cream, syrups. If you want to sweeten the drink a little, add a few peeled dates to the blender.

* Give preference to drinks made from vegetables. “If you choose between vegetable and fruit smoothies, then we put vegetable smoothies in first place. Ingredients may include cucumber, spinach, lettuce, celery, and avocado. You can add half a banana for satiety. Avoid smoothies made from mango or grapes - they have the highest glycemic index,” sums up Anna Ivashkevich.

Ready to make healthy smoothies? We share recipes from chefs and nutritionists.

Effect on the body

Main benefits of smoothies:

• retain plant fibers, antioxidants and vitamins;
• contain easily digestible carbohydrates, which provides a boost of vivacity, energy, improved mood and increased performance;
• have an anti-stress effect;
• strengthen the immune system;
• cleanse the body of waste and toxins;
• improve digestion thanks to fiber;
• satiate and quench thirst at the same time;
• promote weight loss.

The last property is the most important, since many consider this drink as the basis of a dietary diet. And it’s 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 remove a couple of kilograms;
• prolonged saturation leads to a decrease in the total daily calorie intake and allows you to maintain the diet to the end;
• improving metabolism activates lipolysis;
• removing excess fluid from the body means losing another 1-2 kg;
• eliminating cholesterol plaques also promotes weight loss;
• The puree-like consistency of cocktails normalizes the water-salt balance.

So smoothies have one continuous benefit for health in general and for weight loss in particular. True, in order to extract it, you need 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 way. The first version says that the term appeared among hippies, and the second claims that such cocktails were invented by Pacific surfers.

Fruit smoothie with cottage cheese

Recipe by Anna Korobkina, dietician-nutritionist

Ingredients: 60 g strawberries, 40 g raspberries, 40 g kiwi, 50 g cottage cheese, 50 g water.

Instructions. Wash the berries, peel the kiwi, put all the ingredients in a blender and beat until smooth. You can adjust the thickness of the cocktail by decreasing or increasing the amount of water in the drink.

What it is

Protein powder is a protein concentrate in powder form obtained from various protein-rich foods. Such mixtures are purchased in specialized stores. Depending on the composition, ready-made protein concentrates come in several types:

• whey;
• casein (milk);
• egg;
• soy;
• complex.

By diluting them with water, milk or juice, you can easily and quickly prepare healthy drinks that help “build” muscle tissue, while saturating well and not being stored away. In addition, protein shakes are easy to make yourself from natural products - these can be milk, fermented milk, egg or combination drinks with the addition of berries, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other healthy ingredients.

Both store-bought and homemade protein mixtures can be an excellent assistant in the fight against extra pounds if you know how much and when to drink such drinks. And also how to create optimal conditions under which they will be most effective specifically for weight loss.

Vegetable smoothie

Recipe by Anna Ivashkevich, nutritionist, clinical psychologist-dietitian

Ingredients: 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 tbsp. parsley, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 avocado, 2 tbsp. spinach leaves, 1 tbsp. clean water.

Instructions. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Then pour into a glass or bottle if you plan to take the smoothie with you.

Recipes

Since the mixer 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

• From pumpkin (40 kcal)

Coarsely chop the pumpkin pulp (250 g) and 1 banana. Pour 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 cilantro seeds (10 g). Mix.

A hearty broccoli drink can replace a full lunch. It is also called cream soup.

• From beets (90 kcal)

Tear spinach (150 g) and asparagus (250 g) into large pieces with your hands. Pour beet juice (150 ml), beat in a blender. Add 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 yoghurt. Add 50 g oatmeal. Beat in a blender.

Fruit smoothies

• From kiwi (63 kcal)

Chop 2 kiwis, add 50 g of oatmeal, pour in 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 soy milk. Beat.

• 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 dyes over them. Beat in a blender.

• From avocado (100 kcal)

Grind 50 g of parsley, dill, cilantro leaves. Pour 200 ml of still mineral water. Beat. Cut 2 cucumbers, 2 avocados into pieces, add to the green mass. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Pour in 50 ml 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 banana pulp, 150 g kiwi, add 5-6 pitted plums. Pour natural low-fat yoghurt (200 ml). For 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 chilled green tea. Beat. 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 of green apple, kiwi and cucumber. Beat again.

"Star" recipes

• Green by 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 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 servings and drink half an hour before training and half an hour after it.

• Cabbage from Jessica Alba (58 kcal)

Coarsely chop 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 cilantro (10 g) pour coconut water (100 ml). Mix. Add chopped kiwi (2 pcs.), avocado (1 pc.). Mix in a blender.

This is how Blake Lively arranges 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 juice and 20 g of chopped cilantro. Beat.

Paltrow claims that with regular use of this drink, fasting days are not needed: it perfectly cleanses all organs and systems of 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 instead of breakfast.

Winter smoothies

• Chocolate (109 kcal)

Mix 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 (it is required in the cold season to increase immunity) pour 200 ml of mineral water. Add 100 g of chopped apples and the same amount of kiwi. Beat again.

• Tangerine (48 kcal)

Pour 100 ml of low-fat kefir and 100 ml of orange juice into the slices of three tangerines. Beat. Add a couple of frozen berries on top. An excellent option for losing weight during the New Year holidays.

Other recipes

• With oatmeal (79 kcal)

Cut 1 slightly unripe 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.

• 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 of low-fat cottage cheese, 150 g of blueberries, 200 ml of low-fat milk. The ideal protein drink recipe for athletes.

These are the best smoothies for weight loss, which are recommended by nutritionists and have 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.

Spicy Pineapple Spinach Smoothie

Recipe by Chad and Derek Sarno, chefs and bestselling authors of The Indecently Healthy Cookbook.

Ingredients (for 2 large glasses) : 1 medium pineapple, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 handful spinach leaves, 1 handful kale leaves, 1 lime.

Instructions. Wash the spinach and kale and chop finely. Peel and core the pineapple, cut the pulp into slices. Peel the jalapeño and cut it in half. Peel the lime and squeeze the juice by hand. Place spinach, kale, pineapple and jalapeño in a blender bowl, pour lime juice into it and grind everything into a homogeneous mass.

Contraindications and harms of protein drinks

When consuming protein shakes, their harmful effects on the body may be due to the following factors:

• protein concentrate creates a strong load on the liver if the composition does not contain amino acids that facilitate its elimination;
• If there is too much protein intake, the kidneys are also negatively affected, in which pathologies can occur and stones can form;
• If you are lactose intolerant, you may experience diarrhea, increased gas formation, flatulence, cramping abdominal pain and other similar symptoms.

To avoid such negative consequences, it is recommended to take protein drinks only in the specified amount, without exceeding the daily protein requirement, depending on your own weight and physical activity. In addition, it is necessary to know and take into account contraindications to the use of protein concentrates.

The drink is contraindicated if you have the following health problems:

• renal failure;
• urolithiasis disease;
• diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract;
• gout;
• hypolactasia (lactose intolerance) – only for whey and casein protein.

It should be borne in mind that in case of these diseases, it is necessary to limit the use of not only store-bought, but also self-prepared cocktails from natural products, since if taken in excess, they can also cause side effects.

If there are no contraindications, you can safely use protein drinks for weight loss. Such cocktails are guaranteed to help you lose weight and maintain muscle mass, but not alone, but in combination with diet and exercise.

Smoothie with spinach, sorrel and blueberries

Recipe by Gayane Breiova, restaurateur, TV presenter, author of books

Ingredients: 20 g sorrel, 40 g spinach, 50 g ice, 10 g lemon juice, 30 g dates, 70 g blueberries.

Instructions. Rinse the spinach, sorrel and blueberries. Peel the dates. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cocktail "Scotland"

Recipe by Yuri Lamonov, chef of the wild cuisine restaurant “Scottish Cell”

Ingredients: 30 g strawberries (fresh or frozen), 25 g blackberries, 25 g raspberries, 10 g black currants, 5 g red currants, 15 g lemon, 40 g ice.

Instructions. Rinse the berries and place all ingredients in a blender. Whisk until liquid consistency. The finished cocktail can be decorated with a couple of strawberries and red currants.

Comparison of the presented funds

For a more clear comparison of the types of cocktails presented above, we use a general comparison table.

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Smoothie “Ultraclean”

Recipe by Marika Kravtsova, TV presenter, author of the nutrition system and bestseller “Marika’s Book of Beautiful Recipes”

Ingredients: 250 g blueberries or blueberries, 2 ripe bananas, 1 small bunch of cilantro, 1 orange, 1 tsp. spirulina powder, honey to taste, water to regulate consistency.

Instructions. Wash the berries and greens, peel the bananas. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The thickness of the drink can be adjusted by the amount of water.

Green detox smoothie with food hydrosol

Recipe by Florence Gervais d'Alden, founder and "Rose Fairy"

Ingredients: 100 ml coconut water, 1 ripe avocado, 1 lush kale lettuce leaf, 1 handful of baby spinach leaves, 1/4 baby zucchini; 2 tbsp. l. food hydrosol of wild carrots. For decoration: basil leaf.

Instructions. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. When serving, garnish the drink with a basil leaf.

Use expert advice to make truly delicious and healthy cocktails for losing weight. Here you can find several smoothie recipes to strengthen your immune system.

Tips for choosing

Let’s briefly and clearly go over the factors that should definitely be taken into account when choosing these substances.

1. Type. It is worth highlighting at least three types of cocktails for losing weight: protein, whey, complex. The first are the most common and effective. They are distinguished by the absence of fat and a large amount of protein.
2. Result. There is no need to choose a drink that will provide you with minus ten kilograms the next day. As a rule, such products are of very poor quality in composition and can cause a response from the body. Weight loss should occur smoothly.
3. Taste. Of course, taste is an individual matter for everyone and you need to select it with extreme responsibility and understanding that you will be drinking this drink for several weeks, or even more. Common flavors are strawberry, vanilla and chocolate.
4. Amount of substance. You shouldn’t take a huge jar, because you might just get tired of the same taste, smell and color. Take a medium container, which will last for about a month.

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