As the summer heat waves continue, it’s important to remember to hydrate well and often. But proper hydration doesn’t need to come from plain water alone, it can also come from other healthy sources such as flavored water, herbal teas, and smoothies! This week, join Sweet Life Wellness as Maryland Dietitian Kay Loughrey shares some of the do’s and don’ts of hydrating the fun way with your favorite smoothie!
Proper hydration has many health benefits including good digestion, healthy skin, brain functioning, mood, and joint health. Additionally, hydrating can help prevent becoming dehydrated and has also been shown to help lower risk of diabetes, lung disease, dementia, and heart failure. With the high need your body has for water, many people have adopted hydrating using their favorite large water bottle, tracking their hydration through an app, or following a daily hydration challenge. All of these are excellent ways to hydrate, and Sweet Life Wellness would like to add one more tool: smoothies! If prepared correctly, smoothies can be a very healthy and fun hydration alternative. Below are some of Kay’s tips, do’s and don’ts, as you explore the healthy hydrating world of smoothies.
The Do’s of Healthy Smoothies
1) Use water or milk alternatives as your base!
The healthiest base you can use for any smoothie will always be water! This may not be everyone’s favorite, as it will subtract from the creaminess of a smoothie, and if that is the case for you, try using a dairy-free milk alternative such as oat or almond milk. With milk alternatives, you can still achieve creamy smoothies without any of the extra calories or saturated fats from cow’s milk.
2) Add fruit and vegetables!
Use your favorite fruits and vegetables to create a delicious smoothie! Popular add-ins are spinach, kale, peas, cauliflower, cucumber, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, blackberries, and strawberries. Be as creative as you can but remember the fruits and vegetables should be the bulk of your smoothie creation.
3) Use MORE vegetables than fruits!
Although it may be tempting to cut some of the kale or spinach to add more blueberries or strawberries, don’t do it! Your smoothie should have slightly more vegetables than fruits. This will balance out the fruit sugar that is hitting your digestive system all at once in liquid form and will allow for your body to have more fiber!
4) Add protein and healthy fats!
While the carbohydrate sources of fruits and vegetables are certainly necessary for daily energy and helpful for contributing to hydration, don’t forget to add protein and a healthy fat! Good smoothie sources for protein and fats could be chia seeds, no-sugar added peanut butter, and frozen avocado.
The Don’ts of Healthy Smoothies
1) Don’t add sugar!
Though you may be tempted to add a bit of honey, agave, or just plain sugar, remember! Fruit has natural sugars and with the right combination of ingredients, your smoothie will be the perfect amount of sweetness without any added sugars creeping into your healthy smoothie!
2) Don’t add yogurt!
Unless you are adding non-fat, no-sugar-added Greek yogurt, Sweet Life Wellness suggests that you keep to the healthiest version of your smoothie by avoiding adding yogurts. Regular yogurts are often made with large amounts of added sugar, and this unseen foe could impact your progress with healthy eating without you even knowing it.
3) Don’t use too much fruit!
The balance between using fruits for sweetness and using too many fruits is a fine line to walk in smoothie making! While whole natural fruit is an excellent addition for any smoothie, too much fruit can cause a spike in blood sugar and cause your progress in healthy eating patterns and weight loss to reverse. Remember to be mindful of the amount of fruit you are using in each smoothie!
4) Don’t use fruit juice as your base!
Another add-in to avoid in your healthy smoothies would be any fruit juice as your base. We know we’ve been touching a lot on fruit, but truly it is so important to remember that you are trying to create a healthy hydration alternative, not one that will spike blood sugar and cause excess sugar intake. Always keep in mind that your healthiest base option is water, with milk alternatives coming in second.
There you have it! Hydration is necessary and so important, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! And with the do’s and don’ts you have read today, you can be sure that your smoothies will be fun and healthy alternatives to keep hydrating through the heat while still pursuing your healthiest happiest lifestyle! Look into more about hydration here at the Sweet Life Wellness blog.
Resources
National Institute of Health. Hydrating for Health: Why Drinking Water Is So Important. NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2023/05/hydrating-health. Published May 2023. Accessed August 14, 2023.
Utah State University. Smoothies—Helpful or Harmful? Utah State University: Nutrition Extension. https://extension.usu.edu/nutrition/research/smoothies-helpful-or-harmful. Accessed August 14, 2023.
Nutrition Facts Org. Smoothies. https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/smoothies/. Accessed August 14, 2023.
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
Karis N. Hicks
North Carolina Central University
M.S. – Nutrition Studies
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