While a protein fruit smoothie might seem like a nutritious on-the-go meal or snack, check the ingredient list carefully to make sure it fits into your daily food plan. Consuming more calories than you burn causes weight gain even if you eat healthy foods. To manage your weight, look for low-calorie, low-sugar and low-fat protein fruit smoothies and avoid consuming more calories than you need each day.
Protein Fruit Smoothies
Recipes for protein fruit smoothies begin with blending fruit and a compatible protein source -- tofu, yogurt or powdered supplements -- with water, ice or fruit juice into a cold, frothy drink. Nutritional values vary according to the ingredients you use, so consider low-fat, low-sugar foods when making smoothies at home. Before ordering a smoothie at a shop, check the nutrition information before making your selection.
Balancing Calories
Maintaining your weight depends on balancing the calories you take in with the calories you burn through exercise and normal bodily functions. To lose a pound a week, you must create a deficit of 500 calories a day -- 3,500 calories per week -- by eating less, exercising more or both. Taking in more calories a day than you burn causes weight gain.
Snack or Meal?
To avoid gaining weight, consider your daily needs before adding a protein fruit smoothie to your diet. If, for example, you need to consume 1,500 calories a day to maintain your weight, adding a 500-calorie smoothie as a snack every day will cause weight gain unless you also exercise enough to burn an additional 500 calories a day. If you replace a meal with a smoothie containing an equal number of calories, however, your weight should stay the same.
Healthy Ingredients
Using the right ingredients in homemade protein fruit smoothies can help to avoid weight gain. Choose high-quality proteins such as tofu, low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk and powdered supplements made from soy, casein, whey or egg whites. Use fresh, frozen or canned fruits without added sugar and low-calorie liquids, such as water or no-sugar-added juice. If a recipe calls for a high-calorie ingredient, substitute a lower-calorie food with similar qualities. For example, substituting frozen fruit and low-fat yogurt for ice cream reduces the fat, sugar and calorie content, but still produces a frothy, creamy drink.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Balancing Calories
- National Heart Blood and Lung Institute: Balancing Calories
- Sinai Hospital: Protein Shake Recipes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Protein
- Jamba Juice: Nutritional Information (Pre-Boosted Smoothies)
- Mayo Clinic; Protein Shakes: Good for Weight Loss?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.; April 2010
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