This post for What a diabetic dietitian puts in her smoothies was sponsored by Health Warrior. All thoughts and ideas are my own.
Ever wonder what a diabetic dietitian puts in her smoothies? Or maybe what a dietitian would recommend you put in yours?
Well, there’s a few things I want you to think about first before showing you what I like to put in my smoothies:
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Is your smoothie going to be a meal or a snack?
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When is your next meal going to be?
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What flavor preferences do you have?
All three of these questions are important for deciding what to put in a smoothie that meets your needs.
If you’re going to have a smoothie for a snack, you don’t really need to load it up with a ton of ingredients… but if you’re having a smoothie as a meal, it’s important to make it so it can keep you full and satisfied for a few hours at a minimum. Here’s a little formula I use:
Snack smoothie: Liquid + Fruit + Vegetable + Protein
Meal smoothie: Liquid + Fruit + Vegetable + Fat + Protein + Grain
You’ll notice the meal smoothie has fat and grains added to make sure you’re satisfied for a lot longer than if it were just a snack. Here’s some different options for the different categories I listed:
Liquid: water, juice, milk, almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, coconut water, tea, coffee/espresso
Fruit: Banana, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, melon, apples, pears, peaches, pineapple
Vegetable: kale, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, broccoli, pumpkin
Fat: nut butter, coconut oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, avocado, nuts, flax seeds
Protein: plain yogurt, cooked quinoa, protein powder, beans
Grain: Oats, quinoa
And some other fun optional things I also like to include are:
Flavorings: vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, orange zest, peppermint extract
Sweeteners: honey, agave, maple syrup, stevia, dates, coconut sugar
Some of my favorite meal-time smoothie combos…
Banana Berry Kale: unsweetened almond milk, frozen banana, frozen blueberries, kale, peanut butter, Health Warrior Vanilla Protein Powder
Pumpkin Pie: milk, frozen banana, pumpkin puree, ground flax seed, quinoa, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, maple syrup
Pina Colada: Unsweetened coconut milk, frozen pineapple, spinach, hemp seeds, orange zest, agave, Health Warrior Vanilla Protein Powder
Some of my favorite snack-time smoothie combos…
Chocolate Cinnamon: unsweetened almond milk, frozen banana, vanilla extract, cinnamon, Health Warrior Chocolate Protein Powder
Peach Pineapple: milk, frozen pineapple, frozen peaches, carrots, orange zest, honey
Green melon: unsweetened soy milk, grapes, melon, apples, spinach, Health Warrior Vanilla Protein Powder
Now that you’re fully educated on how to make a smoothie perfect for you (and your family), make sure to try out the Health Warrior Superfood Protein Powders . Use the code ‘milknhoney20’ for 20% off on Healthwarrior.com.
