blog-cooking Nutrition7-Day Smoothie Diet Review with Recipes

7-Day Smoothie Diet Review with Recipes

8 mins read

Ievgeniia Dobrynina is the Head of Nutrition and a fact checker at Unimeal.

The Unimeal team works to give you the most accurate and up-to-date information. All texts are reviewed by a panel of experts and editors and updated according to the latest research. Only evidenced-based and verified sources of leading medical publications and universities get into the article materials.

Written by Rashida Ruwa on November 22, 2022

Smoothies are the perfect way to get your fruit and veggie fix, but what if we told you that they could also help you lose weight? Well, a smoothie diet can be one of the best ways to shed those extra pounds⁸Frestedt JL, Young LR, Bell M. 2012. Meal Replacement Beverage Twice a Day in Overweight and Obese Adults Curr Nutr Food Sci. DOI:10.2174/157340112803832156..

Table of content

What is Smoothie Diet
Pros&Cons
Cautious of smoothie diets
How to start a smoothie diet
7-day Smoothie Diet Plan
What to put in smoothie for weight loss
FAQ
Conclusion

These delicious and nutritious drinks are packed with tons of nutrients and vitamins to keep your metabolism working, giving you energy without adding too many calories to your daily intake⁹Bates D, Price J. 2015. Impact of Fruit Smoothies on Adolescent Fruit Consumption at School. Health Education & Behavior. DOI:10.1177/1090198114561514.. And if you're worried about flavor, don't be! There are tons of ways to mix up your meal plan without losing out on your favorite fruits and veggies.

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But before you jump on the smoothie bandwagon, it's important to know what you're getting yourself into. So, we’ve rounded up the pros and cons of this popular diet and given you an easy-to-follow 7-day meal prep menu to help you get started on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

A glass of smoothie with different ingredients besides it that can be used to make a smoothie

What is Smoothie Diet

It is a type of diet that involves replacing most or all meals a day with smoothies which are creamy drinks made of fruits or vegetables blended with juice, water, yogurt, or milk. The nutritional and calorie content of the drink depends on what ingredients are used. While some people do this diet for a short period to jumpstart their weight loss, others make it a long-term lifestyle change.

Pros&Cons

Smoothies are a great way to get a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in one easy package. They're also convenient, delicious, and easy to make, but like anything, there can be pros and cons²Beverly Merz. 2016. Are fresh juice drinks as healthy as they seem? Harvard Health Blog. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fresh-juice-drinks-healthy-seem-2016072910044.

PROS	CONS
No calorie counting	Not as filling as other diets
Easy to follow	Restrictive
Works for everyone	Can get boring fast
Cheap and affordable	May be high in sugar
Delicious and nutritious	Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies
Quick to make	Certain ingredients can be expensive
Great for an active lifestyle	May not provide a lot of fiber
Versatile, i.e., can be made from any combination of ingredients	Don't contain enough fat for sustained energy release

Cautious of smoothie diets

Smoothie diets are becoming increasingly popular, but they may not be suitable for everyone. We've got a few reasons why you should be cautious of smoothie diets:

Smoothies are not going to fill you up like a meal would¹Rogers PJ, Shahrokni R. 2018. A Comparison of the Satiety Effects of a Fruit Smoothie, Its Fresh Fruit Equivalent and Other Drinks. Nutrients. DOI:10.3390/nu10040431., so if you rely on them as your sole source of food, it's easy to overeat and consume more calories than you need in one sitting.

While you may lose weight quickly on a smoothie diet plan, depending on the ingredients some smoothie diets may not contain enough protein or fat to sustain your body long-term.This means you'll need more than fruits and vegetables in order for your body to function properly and help keep your muscles strong and lean.

Keep an eye on your sugar intake. Smoothies are often made with fruit juice or yogurt, which can be high in added sugars.This is a problem because added sugars can contribute to weight gain and are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other health conditions²Beverly Merz. 2016. Are fresh juice drinks as healthy as they seem? Harvard Health Blog. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fresh-juice-drinks-healthy-seem-2016072910044.

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When you're drinking smoothies all day long, it's easy to miss out on important nutrients like vitamins and proteins, hence increasing your risk of nutrient deficiencies⁹Bates D, Price J. 2015. Impact of Fruit Smoothies on Adolescent Fruit Consumption at School. Health Education & Behavior. DOI:10.1177/1090198114561514..

Depending on the ingredients used, smoothies may not provide enough fiber, which helps keep you fuller longer. If you're using frozen fruit and juice, it's possible that the smoothie will be lacking in fiber. Adding some oatmeal or nuts can help with this problem.You can get bored of them. Smoothies are great, but they're not always enough to keep you full and satisfied. If you want to keep drinking them every day, try mixing up different fruits and flavors so that your taste buds don't get bored with the same old thing every single day.

Smoothies aren't all bad news though. When done right and in moderation, they can be a great addition to your diet if they include the right nutrients and ingredients.

How to start a smoothie diet

There are many things that go into making a smoothie diet work for you, and it's not always easy to figure out where to start. But just like any other diet, there's one thing that will guarantee your success: getting started.

So here are our top tips for making sure you can stick with your smoothie diet through the long haul:

Start with simple recipes. You don't need fancy ingredients or expensive kitchen equipment to make delicious smoothies, so don't worry about having all of those things right away.
Start shopping around for ingredients. Take note of what flavors you like, what ingredients are healthy and nutritious, and what other items might make the perfect addition to your smoothie routine.
Make sure your blender can handle everything you throw at it. We recommend starting with frozen fruit only if your blender has enough power for it because frozen fruit adds quite a bit of volume to your smoothie mix and can sometimes be too much for weaker blenders.
Keep track of what works for you and what doesn't, this will help you figure out what ingredients work best together and how much liquid is right for your taste buds.
Remember that the more color your smoothie has, the more nutrients it will have. This means getting creative with different colored fruits and vegetables.
Don't be afraid to experiment. If a recipe calls for something, you don't have on hand, just substitute something else. The key is that the flavor profile works together in harmony you don't need every ingredient in there to make it work out well.

7-day Smoothie Diet Plan

Here’s 7-day plan for you. Just click on each name of the smoothie to get full recipe!

What to put in smoothie for weight loss

Here are some ingredients you can add to your smoothies that will help you burn fat faster:

Bananas: Are a good source of potassium, which helps to balance out sodium levels in the body. This can help prevent bloating, water retention, and other issues that can cause discomfort during weight loss efforts⁴Aline Pereira, Marcelo Maraschin. 2015. Banana (Musa spp) from peel to pulp: Ethnopharmacology, source of bioactive compounds and its relevance for human health Journal of Ethnopharmacology DOI:10.1016/j.jep.2014.11.008..
Chia seeds: These little seeds are jam-packed with nutrients like fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation in the body and help slow down digestion so that you can stay full longer⁶Tavares Toscano L, Tavares Toscano L, Leite Tavares R, da Oliveira Silva CS, Silva AS. 2014. Chia induces clinically discrete weight loss and improves lipid profile only in altered previous values. Nutr Hosp. DOI:10.3305/nh.2015.31.3.8242..
Leafy greens: Leafy greens like kale and spinach contain iron and calcium, both essential nutrients that help your body metabolize fat faster.
Greek yogurt: It's high in protein and probiotics, which helps to keep your digestive system healthy. It also helps you feel fuller longer, which is great for weight loss. A 2016 study proved that consuming yogurt may reduce body fat⁷Eales J, Lenoir-Wijnkoop I, King S, Wood H, Kok FJ, Shamir R, Prentice A, Edwards M, Glanville J, Atkinson RL. 2016. Is consuming yoghurt associated with weight management outcomes? Results from a systematic review. Int J Obes (Lond). DOI:10.1038/ijo.2015.202..
Berries: Are packed with antioxidants that help fight off free radicals that damage your cells and cause aging. They are also high in fiber, which will help keep you feeling full longer than other fruits without adding as many calories⁵Solverson PM, Rumpler WV, Leger JL, Redan BW, Ferruzzi MG, Baer DJ, Castonguay TW, Novotny JA. 2018. Blackberry Feeding Increases Fat Oxidation and Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight and Obese Males. Nutrients. DOI:10.3390/nu10081048..
Avocado: It has a high fiber level and healthy fats. This combination will help keep you feeling full and satisfied, which is great for weight loss³Heskey C, Oda K, Sabaté J. 2019. Avocado Intake, and Longitudinal Weight and Body Mass Index Changes in an Adult Cohort. Nutrients. DOI:10.3390/nu11030691..

FAQ

How much weight can you lose on a smoothie diet

The answer depends on a few factors: your starting weight, how long you stick with the diet, what kind of smoothies you drink, and your current fitness level.

How long can you do a smoothie diet

You can do a smoothie diet for as long as you want, but it's important to make sure that your smoothies are nutrient-dense and that you're getting enough calories and protein.

What is the green smoothie diet

It is a low-calorie and low-fat diet that involves consuming a large amount of fruits and vegetables daily. The goal is to reduce calories and lose weight.

Conclusion

Smoothies are the perfect way to get your daily dose of fruit and vegetables. They’re also a great way for you to sneak in some extra nutrients that you might not be getting from other foods. If you’re looking for a way to lose weight, smoothies are also a great option and the best part is they can be enjoyed by anyone and they’re easy to make.