How I make my smoothies low in calories but super filling

A lot of people just assume smoothies are low in calories because they contain healthy ingredients, but healthy is not always the same as low-calorie. Common smoothie ingredients like fruit, yogurt, flax seeds, and protein powder all contain calories, which can add up quickly when you're blending things together.

I remove all the unnecessary calories and leave only taste, texture, and bulk. This smoothie is just as enjoyable as one containing 5x the calories.



Psyllium husks: While most nutrition databases will list psyllium as containing 17.5 calories per tablespoon, the truth is that none of those calories can actually be digested by humans. Psyllium husks are pure soluble fiber, so it acts as a thickening agent and slows digestion to keep your stomach feeling full longer. Psyllium husks are the same active ingredient as Metamucil, which is marketed as an appetite suppressant.

Zucchini: Everyone is familiar with "zoodles" and "zoats", which use zucchini as a tasteless, but nutritious, low-calorie filler. Zucchini also works great in smoothies because it adds bulk, has an acceptable fruit-like texture, but imparts no taste.

Tip: Red + Green = Brown. Peel the zucchini for a more aesthetic smoothie.

Cranberries: Cranberries are low in sugar and calories but high in fiber and nutrients and they only have 46 calories per cup. Their intense flavor is ideal as it'll drown out any hint of zucchini that you might be able to detect. They're not traditionally thought of as a smoothie ingredient because of how tart they are, but that's easily remedied by adding a little sweetener.

Tip: Cranberries are full of air, so fresh cranberries tend to float to the top and separate when used in smoothies. Freezing the cranberries first will break the cell walls, release that air, and make for a more homogeneous smoothie.

Sweetener: Most smoothies rely on fruit to provide the sweetness, but since I deliberately choose things that are lower in sugar (and therefore calories), it needs a bit of a sweetener boost to make it palatable. I prefer splenda, but stevia, monkfruit, or erythritol would all work equally well.

Tip: Crystal light, mio, or koolaid add sweetness and flavor.

Water: It seems silly to include water in my list of ingredients, but many people use milk, juice, or yogurt as the blending medium in their smoothies, inadvertently increasing the calorie count, but not doing much to change the taste, enjoyability, or how full it'll make them feel.

Superfood powder: Very unnecessary, and a lot higher in calories than you'd think, but it's what I'm into it right now. I like the MacroLife Naturals Miracle Reds, which contains 50 calories per tablespoon. It's made from a mixture of assorted fruit powders so it makes my smoothie taste like there's a whole lot more going on in it than there actually is.