Whoa: you’re better off not putting these 8 things in your healthy smoothie

The answer to the question: what do I have for breakfast when I’m in a hurry and I’m sick to death of bread with peanut butter? Smoothies, of course. Tasty, easy and healthy. You throw whatever you want together and… Whoa, stop. Take a step back. Apparently, you can’t just put everything in your smoothie. At least, not if you want your smoothie to be that healthy start to your day. So what shouldn’t go in it? Well, these 8 ingredients, for example.

1. Flavored fat-free yogurt

What do you mean, no fat-free yogurt? It’s incredibly healthy, isn’t it? Nah-ah, let go of that idea. Yes, it contains almost no fat. But that lack of fat is compensated for 9 times out of 10 with a whole lot of extra sugar. Otherwise, that yogurt would have absolutely no flavor. If you’re also adding sugary things like fruit, milk and nut butters (such as peanut butter) to your smoothie, it becomes a sugar rush you’ll want to avoid. So much for your healthy start to the day. Instead of fat-free yogurt, choose sugar-free yogurt, optionally with extra protein.

2. Canned fruit

Fruit in a can is floating in syrup. And that syrup is—yes, exactly—packed with sugar. So if you hadn’t realized yet that throwing a can of pineapple into your smoothie isn’t a good idea: now you know.

3. Hazelnut chocolate spread

Nutella is amazing, and we’d love to put it in everything. In cupcakes, ice cream, hot chocolate and, if we could, in our smoothie too. If we could, yes. No one’s stopping us, but whether it’s smart to put a heaping spoonful of Nutella in your smoothie is another matter. It isn’t exactly healthy: it will send the fat and sugar content of your smoothie through the roof (or blender).

4. Honey

You understand that you shouldn’t add a spoonful of sugar to your smoothie to make it sweeter. Obviously. Instead, you want to add a little honey. A worthy replacement, you think. Good job! But no, not really. One tablespoon already contains 17 grams of sugar. Maple syrup, then? With 12 grams of sugar per tablespoon, it’s slightly better, but still not really. Sugar is sugar, and your body processes it the same way. Whether it’s granulated sugar or honey. Ideally, a healthy smoothie contains as little sugar as possible, in whatever form.

5. Carton fruit juice

Do you like a nice, liquid smoothie? Not yogurt-thick, but more like juice? Then don’t use fruit juice from a carton as your base. It’s often one big sugar bomb. Some cartons of fruit juice even contain more sugar than a bottle of cola. Crazy! If you still want a sweet, liquid base for your smoothie, choose a type of milk instead. It often contains a little sugar too, but also other beneficial nutrients and vitamins, such as protein, calcium and vitamin A. Oat milk or almond milk works too, of course.

6. Alcohol

Are we really going to say it? Yes, we are. Don’t add alcohol to your smoothie. If you still want to start the day cheerfully, put a splash of Licor 43 in your coffee instead—our editorial team’s number-one favorite here.

7. Too much of a good thing

Avocados are healthy, right? In principle, yes. They contain unsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol and improve your heart health. But too much fat isn’t good, whether it’s unsaturated or saturated. It makes you gain weight. If you want to follow a healthy diet, at least 20% and at most 40% of your energy intake should come from fat. So don’t put too many avocados in your smoothie. The same goes for nut butter. One tablespoon is certainly healthy (even recommended!), but stop there.

8. Ice cream

Pretty clever if you want to make your smoothie creamier and sweeter: add ice cream. Surprise: it contains sugar! So not a good idea. Add some delicious sugar-free, optionally plant-based yogurt to your smoothie for a creamy, sweet touch.

So what can you put in your smoothie to make it really great? With these 8 smoothie tips, you can start every day insanely deliciously and healthily.

Also read:

• Why I can never make a (normal) smoothie again
• Recipe: Efteling dream smoothie
• Recipe: peanut butter and Coco Start smoothie bowl