The idea of running a smoothie weight loss diet plan may not be a new trend amongst health and fitness junkies, but to most people, a smoothie diet may be a novelty nutritional plan. But before we start off with explaining what a smoothie diet is, who should take up this type of diet, why you should follow this dietary plan and the foods you should avoid during your smoothie diet – it is important to note that weight loss is mainly achieved by a combination of a good, healthy diet, and a proper workout plan.
It is also equally important to understand that a smoothie diet is not designed to starve you out in an attempt to help you shed weight, far from it! Starvation is not only ill advised, but could potentially be dangerous to your overall health and wellbeing. What’s more, you should never start any restrictive diet including a smoothie diet without first consulting with your physician.
We all react to diets differently, and if you have an underlying health concern, engaging in a restrictive diet may exacerbate your health problem. Now that we have set the tone of this post nicely, it’s time to start by explaining what a smoothie weight loss diet plan is.
What’s a Smoothie Weight Loss Diet Plan?
A smoothie diet for weight loss is one that is designed to help you stay healthy (without starving) while cutting your body fat and enabling you to consistently lose a few pounds.
Dieticians and health coaches have come up with different ideas for a smoothie diet including a 1-day and 21-day smoothie diet.
In truth, whichever smoothie diet you choose to adopt should be one that has been designed specifically to your bodybuilding and weight loss needs by your doctor, trainer, nutritionist and/or dietician.
A smoothie diet is one that typically requires you to feed exclusively on a cocktail of blended vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices as required. Your choice of smoothie diet is entirely up to you or whatever has been recommended by your dietician.
A 1-day diet plan will see you just live off a blended diet for a day, then continue with your regular health meals afterwards. However, with a 21-day smoothie diet plan, you need to first detoxify your body and rid it of any built-up toxins before you start the program.
A professional fitness and health coach named Drew Sgoutas, who is widely credited for coming up with the smoothie diet suggests that you first detoxify for 3 days by going on a strict smoothie diet.
With harmful toxins out of your system, your body will be ready to go and you can then commence with the three week (21-day) smoothie diet plan where you substitute two of your daily main meals with a strict smoothie diet.
So if you like, you can start your day with a smoothie, then have a solid meal for lunch and end your day with another smoothie beverage for dinner.
Alternatively, you could have breakfast as normal, then substitute your lunch and dinner with a smoothie drink of your choice. Your smoothie beverage should provide your body with all the essential nutrients, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals needed by your system on a daily basis.
The only solid meal you consume on each day during the 21-day smoothie diet should be low in carbohydrates. You can either blend fresh fruits and veggies or frozen ones which offer a much longer shelf-life and are not as expensive as fresh fruits and veggies.
Smoothies can be made in a variety of ways, and you can come up with a recipe that suits the flora and fauna of your gut. Some people combine veggies, fruits, sweeteners, protein powder, yogurt and milk while others may add exotic fruits, spices and herbs to their blend.
Avoid (or Limit) these Foods during a Smoothie for Weight Loss Diet
As a common rule, you should avoid consuming processed or refined foods including meat and grains respectively. You should also stay away from sugary beverages and deep fried foods.
These foods should be avoided on normal days let alone during your 21-day smoothie diet. If you’re still unsure of what foods to avoid (or limit) while dieting on smoothies, the table below should help.
| FOOD TYPE | FOOD EXAMPLES |
| Fried Foods | Fish sticks, fried chicken, mozzarella sticks, French fries |
| Refined Foods | Tortillas, white bread, white pasta, white rice |
| Processed Foods | Potato chips, donuts, cookies, pretzels |
| Processed Meat | Salami, ham, bacon, corned beef |
| Sugary Beverages | Energy drinks, soda, sports drinks, sweet tea |
Now that you have a better idea of the foods to avoid (or limit) when you’re on a smoothie diet, you might also be wondering what recipes you could cook up – or should I say blend!
The table below highlights five quick smoothie recipes you could try out today.
You can give each recipe a name that suits your personality and you can also substitute some of the ingredients or add to the mix to suit your dietary needs.
You should blend the ingredients stated for each recipe until they are smooth, then bottoms up!
| SMOOTHIE RECIPE | CONDIMENTS |
| Popeye’s Spinach Delight Smoothie | A couple handfuls of baby spinach (properly washed), one carrot, half a cucumber, one slice of peeled kiwi, one handful of ice cubes, 200g Greek yogurt (low fat) |
| Early Riser Starter Smoothie | One handful of porridge oats, one handful of almonds, one banana, 200ml of slimmed milk, 30g protein powder |
| Smoothie de Mediterranean | One handful of fresh basil, one red pepper, half an avocado, 30g protein powder, two tomatoes (large), a handful of ice cubes |
| Fruity Loops Smoothie | Two handfuls of strawberries, two handfuls of raspberries, one peeled kiwi, one handful of porridge oats, 200g Greek yogurt (low fat), a handful of ice cubes |
| Healthy Veggie Smoothie | Half an avocado, half a cucumber, one handful of fresh parsley, 30g protein powder, one celery stick, one handful of ice cubes |
Can Anyone Start-off a Smoothie Weight Loss Diet Plan?
The answer to this question is Yes and No! While a 1-day smoothie diet may offer more good than harm to most people, a 21-day smoothie diet on the other hand, may be ill advised for some.
It is always important that you consult with your physician before you start a smoothie diet, this way you will be completely certain of your suitability for the dietary program.
However, persons with underlying health problems should not start this diet without their doctor giving an all-clear. Also, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers should seek clearance before going on this diet.
Why Should I Start A Smoothie Diet Plan?
A smoothie weight loss diet plan offers you a host of benefits apart from shedding fat. Other advantages that can be derived from running a strict smoothie diet for three weeks and these include:
Eliminate harm toxins
A smoothie diet can help you get rid of harmful toxins. The 21-day smoothie diet requires you to first detoxify your body before you start. Toxins are harmful yo your health and are responsible for a host of ailments that you can avoid with a smoothie diet.
Improved energy levels
A smoothie diet enriches your system with vital nutrients, minerals, and vitamins to boost your energy levels during the day.
Better sleep quality
With a smoothie diet plan, you can be sure of getting a good night’s sleep. This can be attributed to your body having less work to do at night with regards to yoUr metabolism as you’re not eating heavy solid meals.
Healthy hair and skin
Smoothies are made from fruits and vegetables which supply your body with antioxidants that will leave your skin looking radiant with your hair bright, strong, and full.
Final Thoughts
A smoothie weight loss diet plan is a great program to adopt of you are a healthy adult. You can expect great liquid diet weight loss results, especially if you combine your diet with a good workout routine. You should try out the recipes in this post, but be creative and add or improve the recipes with your own ingredients. And finally, don’t forget to discuss with your physician before you start a smoothie diet. You can also get us a shout here today, we’ll be more than happy to help you along.
