Do you reckon this smoothie is healthy?

[coffeecoffeee]

I stopped having fruit smoothies for ages because of the high sugar content and apparently the blending process breaks down the fibre etc?!

Well I've been having the following smoothie and hoping it is relatively healthy, what do you think???

Water
Spinach
Celery
Blueberries
Greek yoghurt
Scoop of protein powder

@coffeecoffeee Have you looked at Purition protein powder? It’s definitely not a UPF and it’s really good. I use it every day in a smoothie similar to yours and I feel so much better for it. I add half an avocado too for the healthy fats.

All protein powders are UPF. Whey protein itself is a UPF.

Protein powder probably has sweetners in it

Why dont you use that runny tofu?

There was a piece on radio 2 about protein powder. It’s completely unregulated and causing liver problems in people. just eat a egg

Harvard health

Yes it's fine OP. I use protein powder sometimes because when I'm endurance training and doing hours of medium intensity training it's hard to get all of my protein in- I also am not always able to grab an egg. I agree with the sentiment though, most people don't require it let alone daily.

There are loads of smoothie variations of this ilk online though I'd mix it up to get a variety but keep the base (spinach and yog).

I can feel myself getting a brain aneurism reading this nonsense.

As far as I know a young lad recently died after taking a shake but he unfortunately had a rare undiagnosed condition.

Silken tofu is higher in calories and lower in protein that pretty much every single protein powder on the market.

Threads about food are always wild on here to be honest, someone's even coming after spinach on this one!

@Vegetus I just can't get my head around eating something which most people don't need very odd but each to their own. If I was an Olympic athlete and needed so much additional protein fair enough but I'm not currently in that category 🤪. Also eating something so heavily processed.

We just have different ways of eating, I like whole foods so if I was the OP I'd stick to her smoothie, cut out the protein powder and eat a few nuts!!

I keep hearing adverts for HUEL which is a protein meal replacement (I know not the same thing) and wonder how life has come to this. People are having to fit so much in their lives they can't eat a meal but have a shake on the go. Sad really (and a derailment I know!)

AFAIK, it is only the flavoured protein powders that are full of junk and artificial sugars. Plain protein powder is just whey, although it obviously has been processed.
(People seem to think any food that has been processed is an UHP food)

It is true that excess protein is turned into fat or just pissed out, and that if you’re not trying to pack on muscles with intense training then you don’t need extra protein from powders.

Protein powder is of real use to people trying to build or maintain muscle, it's very useful if someone is trying to accomplish this is in a calorie defecit as it's low in calories and high in protein. It's also reasonably priced. I get a 5kg tub for 30 quid and it lasts me 4 months, I sometimes will have a combination of whole eggs and egg whites in an ommlette and if I was to do this as regularly I'd be bankrupt!

The RDA for protien is probably too low to maintain muscle mass especially as we age and it doesn't hurt to eat more than the recommend daily amount, only reason to consume a diet low in protien would be prior kidney damage or impairment but even then it's extremely rare to have adverse results.

Yes it is processed but the notion of good/bad food is very very unhelpful and seems to thrive on here due to the extreme relationship most posters seem to have with food and or dieting.

Nuts are a terrible source of protein they are a fat with some protein. For example to get the same 25g of protien in my 100cal scoop of powder i would need to eat 800cals of mixed nuts. I laugh every time I see someone usually on here recommend peanut butter and an apple as a protien rich snack.

Huel is slimfast for young professionals to the best of my knowledge.

Purition is processed but not UPF and has no shit ingredients or preservatives added. I love my smoothies and would happily live on them 😁

@Vegetus I suppose I feel food has got a bit fucked up really. So many mixed messages, people still believe low fat is better than full fat with so many additives etc not realising that full fat keeps you fuller for longer so you don't need to eat as much crap.

With yogurt and seeds (even ignoring my nuts 😉) I can get 20g protein for breakfast without expensive protein powder 🤷🏼‍♀️ and knowing what I'm putting in my body.

But each to their own!

Oh and I agree I think huel sounds like slim fast in a new guise

It's annoying the way protein is touted as a way of making products that are very highly processed seem healthier than they are. Protein powder has its place, e.g. supporting post workout recovery, but most (even many pure/ unflavoured ones) contain emulsifiers which I think are best avoided due to the impact on the gut (I have a specific condition that makes me extra careful). Not to mention all the flavourings etc. I buy whey from Healthy Tree which doesn't have anything but whey in - still very processed but feels like a good balance to me when I need something quick post workout. But when I can I'll get my protein from real food.

OP the question to ask yourself is, what would you have instead? If the alternative you'd choose would be a fruit smoothie then I would say it's definitely healthier than that. But not as healthy as having a salad with spinach, celery etc followed by blueberries and yoghurt.

Chocolate is safe too, but you shouldn't drink it in smoothies if you're trying to lose weight/eat better.

Nobody needs protein powder. Eat an egg.

Why shouldn't you put chocolate in a smoothie? I eat eggs every single day and and still have a scoop of protein powder every morning. Not dead yet, blood work is great, gut feels fine I'll carry on as I am.

I use Purition to make a smoothie every day. The ingredients are whey protein, coconut, flax seed, sunflower kernels, almonds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, psyllium husk, apple pectin, and stevia - it’s a protein powder but no way is this in any way unhealthy

I'd go almonds, pumpkin seeds or peanut butter in place or protein powder. Also add some golden linseed for omegas and swap Greek yoghurt for Kefir for the good bacteria.

Peanut butter isn't an adequate replacement for any type of protein powder. It's a high calorie source of fat with a small bit of protein.

I dont think seeds are much better either. Ive been trying to find creative ways to increase protein which doesnt involve putting powder in things or eating too much chicken and tuna (which seems like all I eat)

I had some seed mix in the cupboard and have started putting that in my salad (tuna or chicken naturally) but 20g of the seed mix, is 116cal for only 5g of protein. Terrible value.

I'll use it up but not buying that anymore. 20g is a lot to crunch through in a salad as well, got stuck in my teeth.