Smoothies are meant to be meals in a cup; filling, but also healthy to provide you with all the nutrients you need. However, when it comes to fast food smoothies, it seems like the nutritious part of the drink is fading away and being replaced by sugary, processed ingredients. While making smoothies at home can be a healthier option, especially when trying to monitor your belly fat, it’s not always practical. Fast food smoothies are a quick and easy option when you’re on the run.
“Finding a great fast-food smoothie to support your weight loss efforts can be difficult given that many restaurant smoothies are more like milkshakes,” says Molly Hembree, MS, RD, LD, retail dietitian coordinator for Kroger and a member of our Medical Expert Council. “Often these smoothies actually start with sorbet, frozen yogurt or ice cream and have extra added sugar in them.”
While it might sound daunting, there turns out to be a string that hits the mark when it comes to healthier ingredients that help boost weight loss. According to Hembree, the The best fast food smoothie for abdominal weight loss comes from Tropical Smoothie Café.
This Smoothie Fast Food Chain Lets You Customize Your Smoothiewhich is a great way to create a drink that will fit perfectly into a weight loss diet.
According to a study published in the journal Current Nutrition and Food Scienceswitching to a meal replacement drink like a nutritious smoothie can help with weight loss and lower your body mass index (BMI).
In the study, the replacement drink was a specially formulated powder with a decadent flavor, texture and mouthfeel containing protein, fiber and crystalline fructose as well as more than 20 vitamins and minerals. . Each subject was placed on an appropriate low calorie diet during their individual dietary counseling session.
This helped measure changes in satiety (fullness) over time after consuming the meal replacement drink, in which subjects reportedly said they went from feeling relatively hungry before drinking the drink to a feeling of satiety 15 minutes after the drink. This feeling of fullness lasted more than two hours, which helped participants lose weight and lower their BMI.
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So what kinds of ingredients should you add to your smoothie? Hembree says to look for healthy, unprocessed ingredients.
“Most of us tend to gain extra weight around our midsection, but searching for specific foods in hopes of reducing fat around our midsection will make you come back empty-handed,” says Hembree. “In place, look for healthy, less processed foods that will keep you full and have a range of good nutritional values that will provide energy, nourishment and offset overeating.“
One of Hembree’s main recommendations is Chia Banana Boost with Strawberry from Tropical Smoothie Café. Its main ingredients contain roasted banana, chia seeds, almonds, whole grain oats, cinnamon, dates, coconut and strawberries.
“This ‘as is’ smoothie contains turbinado sugar, but customizing it by removing the sugar (while keeping it sweet with the fruit) deducts 235 calories from the smoothie recipe“, says Hembree. “Then I suggest adding the ‘spinach and kale super pack’ to include veggies in this smoothie, and the pea protein powder to bring it all together.”
When the final product is created, the smoothie will total 540 calories, 12 grams of fat (2.5 grams of saturated fat), 165 milligrams of sodium, 74 grams of carbohydrates (with 17 grams of fiber, 37 grams of sugar), and 33 grams of protein, creating an excellent balance of macronutrients and calories for a solid meal, while containing a good amount of fiber.
If you are more interested in fast food options for weight loss, try Best fast food order for weight loss, says dietitian.
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