Best Natural Smoothies to Help you Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight by dieting, the only thing you need is a good blender and a handful of delicious, yet nutritious recipes. The author of the book The Body Reset Diet, Harley Pasternak points out that there is no easier way to prepare a healthy meal than blending.

What Makes a Good Smoothie?

There are four sacred elements of a healthy smoothie. One, a liquid base, the best is nonfat milk, rich in vitamin D and calcium that helps your body deal with fat. Two, lean protein which helps with maintaining muscle mass with minimum fat. In return you are burning more calories during the daytime activities. Use nonfat yogurt, silken tofu, or unflavored protein powder. Three, healthy fats that provide you with energy, make the smoothies fulfilling and facilitate vitamin absorption. Two tablespoons of seeds nuts or an avocado will do the trick. And four, high-fiber carbs like raspberries, blueberries, spinach, and cucumber.

Mango Smoothie

You will need ¼ cup of mango cubes, ¼ c freshly mashed ripe avocado, ½ c squeezed mango juice, ¼ clean fat-free vanilla yogurt, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 tablespoon sugar and 6 ice cubes. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. When poured, you can garnish it with sliced mango and strawberry. This smoothie packs 298 calories, 5 g of protein, 55 g of carbs, 5 g of fiber, 47 g of sugar, 8 g of fat, 1.5 g of saturated fat, and 54 mg sodium.

Blueberry Smoothie

For one serving you need 1 cup of skim milk for the base, 1 cup of frozen blueberries (unsweetened), and 1 tablespoon of cold-pressed organic flaxseed oil. Mix the milk and blueberries in a blender for one minute, pour it into a glass and stir with flaxseed oil. If you prefer a sweeter taste, you can add some healthier natural sweeteners. This protein-rich smoothie contains 273 calories, 9 g of protein, 29 g of carbs, 4 g of fiber, 24 g of sugar, 14.5 g of fat, 1.5 g of saturated fat, and 103 mg of sodium.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

This smoothie pack more calories and is recommended when you have a long day ahead of you. One serving measures ½ cup of fat-free milk, ½ cup of fat-free plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons of creamy unsalted peanut butter, ¼ of a  ripe banana, 1 tablespoon of honey and 4 ice cubes. The preparation is simple, blend the ingredients until smooth and pour into a tall glass. As nutrition values are concerned, this smoothie will provide your body with 366 calories, whopping 18 g of protein, 40 g of carbs, 3 g of fiber, 32 g of sugar, 16.5 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat and 151 mg of sodium.

Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

A delicious and easy to make, this smoothie requires ½ cup of skim milk (or soy), 6 oz. of low-calorie vanilla yogurt,¼ cup of chocolate chips, 1 cup of fresh raspberries and a handful of ice or 1 cup of frozen raspberries. After one minute of blending, pour the smoothie into a tall glass and eat with a spoon. Nutrition-wise, this smoothie will provide you with 462 calories, 16 g of protein, 77 g of carbs, 10 g of fiber, 10 g of sugar, 13.5 g of fat, 7.5 g of saturated fat, and 174 mg of sodium.

As with any dieting, smoothies need time to start working on your lean figure. The best results are achieved by having three smoothies and two snacks a day for five days, followed by two smoothies, a solid meal, and two snacks for the next five days. Their effectiveness comes from the fact that smoothies have less calories than an average meal, but they are equally filling.