Smoothies Gone Wrong

I was given a book to review last week that a fellow nutritionist thought I would enjoy reading…

Overall, the book was dead on.

The author touched on all the basics such as limiting sugar intake, eating living foods with their enzymes intact, and staying away from processed foods.

But then the author went on to conclude his book with a final chapter on his “special recipes” and the whole book fell flat on its face…

I couldn’t believe it.

Honestly, it was as if another author contributed or wrote the final pages.

So here’s what I’m talking it:

The well-intentioned author (whom shall remain nameless) gave his recipe for his daily smoothie.

I’m a little nervous to even share with you what’s in it because I’d hate for anyone to actually copy it and drink this every morning.

Okay, so here’s his “Super Smoothie” recipe (just promise not to actually drink it) with my nutrition notes in parenthesis beside each item:

1c blueberries (21 carbs/15 sugar)
1c strawberries (12 carbs/7 sugar)
1/2c raspberries (15 carbs/5 sugar)
1/2c blackberries (15 carbs/7 sugar)
1/2 mango (28 carbs/24 sugar)
1/2 kiwi (6 carbs/4 sugar)
1/2 apricot (4 carbs/3 sugar)
1/2c cherries (11 carbs/9 sugar)
1/2c pineapple (10 carbs/7 sugar)
1/2 banana (26 carb/14 sugar)
2 tablespoons omega-3 oil (28 grams fat/240 calories)
1/4c orange juice (7 carbs/6 sugar)
1/4c black cherry juice (8 carbs/7 sugar)
1/4c grape juice (9 carbs/9 sugar)
1/4c cranberry juice (8 carbs/8 sugar)
1/4c pomegranate juice (9 carbs/8 sugar)
1-2 teaspoons of honey (12 carbs/12 sugar)

TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES: 201 grams

TOTAL SUGAR: 145 Grams

TOTAL FAT:  30+ Grams

TOTAL CALORIES: 1,120+ Calories

*Food analysis from NutritionData

Now before I gently critique this smoothie please keep in mind that I’m a huge advocate of daily green juices, fresh fruit smoothies, or protein shakes.

The problem is that many well-meaning nutrition authors fall into the trap of thinking the more “good stuff” they add to the smoothie the better.

Here’s what I mean:

The author was actually on the right track by suggesting everyone consume more antioxidant and vitamin packed fruits, but what he failed to take into account was the glycemic response and subsequent insulin spike that was contained in his smoothie recipe.

145 grams of sugar in an easy to assimilate blended smoothie is just disastrous for your health…

The goal is to control insulin levels – especially when it comes to losing weight and improving growth hormone levels which decline as we age.

The craziest thing is he mentioned these exact items in his book!

To be fair, he did say you can make this into 2 servings, but even at that you’re looking at over 100 carbohydrates (73 grams sugar) and about 600 easily assimilated carbohydrate-based calories…

The only time a 1/2 serving of a smoothie like this may be acceptable is after an athlete just completed a grueling 2 hour workout session and is strategically looking to spike his blood sugar and replenish his liver and muscle glycogen stores in order to recover faster.

For anybody else who drank even half of this any other time except after a workout would just be asking to store all that sugar as added body fat.

And nobody really wants more fat around their waistline…

Keep in mind that it’s not just this particular recipe you need to watch out for since many local smoothies shops add just as many sugary additives like sherbert, flavored yogurt, soy milk, or other sweeteners.

The last thing I want to mention when you’re creating a non-post workout smoothie is not to use fruit juice. (Please re-read my previous articles on this if you forgot the reason).

I suggest adding real berries since they won’t spike your blood sugar as much. You can even use frozen if you aren’t able to keep fresh, organic ones around.

And of course, if you just finished a workout feel free to actually eat your fruit before having a protein shake (this is what I do). After you exercise is a nice time to enjoy any fruit you wish even if it is higher on the glycemic index since many high GI fruits still have a ton of beneficial nutrients your body could use.

I think that’s enough on the “Smoothies Gone Wrong” topic for today, but I do hope I was able to shed some light on the fact that you can’t always believe everything you read and too much of anything is not a good thing…

…Even if it is well-intentioned and that thing is actually good for you.

Lastly, if you’d like to watch me blend up a simple 4 item healthy smoothie that anyone can make, check out the free video below:

http://PersonalTrainerSupplements.com

And, if you’d like to get your hands on my complete 12-week step-by-step Fatlossity system where I show you how to lose 5 lbs. in less than 7 days you can download it today at the link below:

http://Lose5in7.com/getstarted

Committed to your Success,

Stephen Cabral, CSCS, CPT, NS
Author of Fatlossity – Lose5in7 Weight Loss System
Health Consultant for MTV, Maxim, Men’s Health, SELF, Nutritiondata, Diet.com, Gather, EDGE