Are Smoothies Healthy?
A lot of people drink smoothies as snacks, or even as entire meals, to get in their quota of fruits and vegetables for the day. A question often asked is, ‘Are smoothies healthy?’ The short answer to this question is a qualified yes: they are healthy compared to unhealthy foods like fried food as fast food. They are also a good way to make sure that you get some fruits and vegetables into your diet if you don’t eat these foods otherwise. But the full answer requires a more nuanced approach to the question. There are some unhealthy aspects of smoothies that you should be aware of.
Increased appetite
Research suggests that taking the same energy content in liquefied form – rather than solid form – can increase your appetite, resulting in you consuming more calories later, the liquefied food not having satisfied your appetite in the same way that solid food would have. If you have smoothies early in the day, such as for breakfast, it could actually increase your caloric intake overall, making you consume more food later in the day than you would have normally. So, if you have smoothies for breakfast, you may want to pack a snack to take in between breakfast and lunch.
Spike in blood sugar
Think about it: you can drink an entire smoothie in ten seconds, whereas eating the same amount of food would have taken you around 10 minutes. This means that the energy content is getting to you significantly quicker if you’re drinking smoothies. Liquifying solid food changes the rate and impact of digestion in essential ways. Consuming it results in a faster and sharper spike in your blood sugar levels. Additionally, if you use a lot of fruit to improve the taste of your smoothies, it will overpower the energy density of the vegetables, causing the sugar content to be quite high, sometimes as high as a glass of Coke. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, conducted by Harvard University, eating fruits rather than drinking them lowers the risk of you developing type 2 diabetes.
High calorie content
Smoothies themselves can often contain a high-calorie content, some store-bought smoothies going up to 600 calories per serving. Considering that most of these calories come from sugars, this is not a good state of affairs. Smoothies prepared at home can pose the same problem, especially if they contain large amounts of syrups and powders and honey.
It’s a question of how you make them
Most of the health risks posed by smoothies can be eliminated by how you make them. Don’t, for instance, add excessive amounts of sweetening ingredients. Use healthy liquids, like almond milk, rather than juices. Be sure to include plenty of leafy, nutritious vegetables. Use vegetables and fruits in a 3:1 ratio. If you are using protein-rich ingredients like almond butter or peanut butter, then keep the helpings small.
Smoothies are fine overall, and a much healthier option than many alternatives. But it would be best to eat fruits and vegetables instead.
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