Control carbohydrates and lose weight
Carbohydrates are the fuel your body
converts into glucose for energy. Without carbs to burn, your body resorts to burning fat reserves. This is a good thing if you want to lose weight. Get off to a healthy start in the morning by making a low-carb breakfast smoothie, whether it’s to lose weight or for other health reasons.
Healthy breakfast smoothie
Always combine fruit smoothies with a protein for balanced nutrition. You can also eat extra wedges of the melons along with the smoothie.
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups watermelon, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup cantaloupe, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
Directions:
Using a blender, add the fruit first, then the yogurt and juice. Blend until smooth.
High-protein morning smoothie
The protein in this recipe comes from the soy milk and the whey protein powder.
Ingredients:
• 1/2 to 1 cup soy or almond milk
• 1 or 2 tablespoons whey protein powder isolate
• 1 cup mixture frozen berries such as strawberries or raspberries
• Low cal sweetener of choice such as stevia, to taste.
Directions:
Add the liquid first in your blender, then the powder and frozen berries. Puree until smooth. Add more liquid to make a thinner consistency.
Green breakfast smoothie
Who says you can’t eat veggies for breakfast? Go green for a low-carb, high-energy start in the morning to fuel your day.
Ingredients:
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk, unsweetened
• 2 ice cubes
• 2 cups chopped, fresh spinach
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds (must be roasted)
• No-cal sweetener to taste
Directions:
Add all the ingredients in order and puree until smooth. You can adjust the number of ice cubes per your preference.
Tropical fruit sunrise smoothie
Bananas add natural sweetness and a thick texture to smoothies.
Ingredients:
• 1 small banana
• 1 orange, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 cup low fat, plain yogurt
• 1 cup orange juice
• 6 ice cubes (or less)
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender except the ice and puree. Then add the ice cubes and blend until slushy.
Nutty pineapple breakfast smoothie
As nuts go, almonds are low-carb and contain important fiber and protein along with other beneficial nutrients.
Ingredients:
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 1/2 ounces chopped, fresh pineapple
• 20 almonds, chopped
• 1 ounce soy or whey protein powders
Directions:
Add all ingredients in order to your blender and puree until smooth. You can also add ice cubes to create a slushy texture.
Once you begin to experiment with low-carb smoothies, you can add different ingredients you may prefer. Just be sure that what you choose falls into a “low carb” category.
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