Oh, I got rid of my spoon. Come here. Come here. Come here. Up.
Get down. Can you see?
Hey, health nuts. Welcome back to my channel. My name is Nicole. If you’re new here, hello. Welcome to the channel. If you are new here, you may not know that I love me a good smoothie. Mostly green smoothies. That’s Cashew in the background with a squeaky toy. Cashew. Cashew. We’re filming. We’re filming. And you guys have actually titled me the green smoothie queen because I love them that much. And today’s video, I thought I would talk about some common mistakes that people are making when they make a smoothie at home. By the way, we actually have a full free downloadable guide to how to make the perfect green smoothie, which I’ll have a link down below. You guys can grab that. It’s free. You just enter our email and you’ll get it right to your inbox. Uh, so that is your resource to make the perfect smoothie. But I’m going to share 10 common mistakes that people are making or that I think people are making when blending up a smoothie. So, let’s hop right in. Number one, the first common smoothie mistake in my opinion. By the way, these are all like just in my opinion. I’m not a professional or doctor or nutritionist. These are just things that I’ve learned over the years of making lots of smoothies. So, just, you know, take what you want, leave what you don’t want. Uh, but yeah. Anyways, first tip is that I think people are adding in too much box nut or seed milk or just like plant-based milks or regular milk. I prefer to do more of like a half and half uh style with my smoothie. So, I’ll do half nutmilk or oat milk and then I’ll do the rest filtered water. You could also do just filtered water. I think it’s fine to add water into your smoothies, especially if you’re adding fruits like banana or mango or you’re adding in a protein powder. That’s going to give you that milky texture and taste that you want without adding so much boxed plant-based milk. My next tip is to not overdo it with the fruit. I feel like people are adding in way too much fruit into their smoothie. It’s making it way too sweet and sugary. And honestly, it’s not necessary. You can cut it down. You can use vegetables. It doesn’t all have to be sweet fruits. You can use things like celery, cucumber. You can of course add in some greens, ginger. Uh you can just add in more ice if you want it to be that texture and still cold, but you don’t want to add too much frozen fruit. I also use steamed and frozen cauliflower and zucchini. That is my go-to. I’m not about a super sweet smoothie. Then it’s more like a dessert than a breakfast to me. So, switch it up. try to add in more of those vegetables that you may think are more savory um but aren’t going to add they’re going to add like nutrients and texture to your smoothie without overdoing it with the sugar. So, I actually have some awesome veggie smoothies that I will link down below if you guys want to check them out. Uh there’s some unexpected vegetables that you may not think of using. Uh but zucchini and cauliflower are definitely my go-tos. The next common mistake with smoothies that I personally find is people are not adding in healthy fats and fiber. These are two things that are going to actually make your smoothie filling and satiating when you drink it. When people are like, “Oh, I have a smoothie and I’m hungry like 2 seconds later,” it’s because you’re not adding like substance to your smoothie. Like, yes, protein is important, but fiber and healthy fats is what’s going to help you keep help keep you full and also just like help move things along. And I my go-tos are like flax and chia seed for fiber. And for healthy fats, I love avocado. You can put in some flax oil in there. you even like chia seeds and flax are they have healthy fats in them too. So they’re kind of like a duo combo. Even just adding those in are going to be amazing. Uh nut and seed butters are awesome. So just think about healthy fats and fiber. Add those into your smoothie and they will keep you full longer. My next common mistake when it comes to smoothies is adding in liquid sweeteners. There is no need if you’re using nice ripe fruit, which I’ll talk about in my next tip. Uh you don’t need extra sweeteners. You don’t need honey, maple syrup. You don’t need sweetened yogurt, sweetened almond milk, even juice. I don’t think you need to add juice. Sometimes if I’m craving like a sweeter treat for a smoothie, I’ll add in a little bit of fresh squeezed orange juice, not boxed orange juice, I’ll add that in. Uh but for the most part, I’m not adding any liquid sweetener. Uh fruit is sweet enough, and I don’t feel like you need to add anymore. So, I like you may see on my channel, I may time to time add a little bit of maple syrup or something if I’m trying to make it more of a dessert smoothie, but we’re talking about healthy breakfast smoothies here, and I don’t think you need liquid sweeteners. The next common mistake is adding a protein powder that is full of sugar. You do not need it. Look for ones that are low in sugar, low on the GI index and are either sweetened with a little bit of coconut sugar or stevia or monk fruit is another awesome sweetener that I’m really liking right now. And this is just going to help it still give your smoothie sweetness but without spiking your blood sugar. So just look at the ingredients in your uh protein powders and make sure you know what’s in there because they can be chocked full with a lot of kind of different processed ingredients. So, know your ingredients, know the brand, trust the quality of the ingredients that they’re sourcing it from, and just do your research on like protein powder is expensive, so make sure you’re buying a good one. My next smoothie mistake I think people are making is not adding in real fresh leafy greens. I know that there’s all these like awesome green super powder powder powder power powders. That was a tongue twister. I know that there’s all these awesome green powders out there uh that are great for if you’re traveling or if you just ran out of greens that day, but guess what? Just fresh, raw, beautiful leafy greens are amazing to put into your smoothies. And I always have either spinach or kale or romaine or just like a spring mix or something cuz you want to like rotate your greens. I will always have something in the fridge uh to add into my smoothies. I personally like I feel like I only really make green smoothies. I have non-green smoothie recipes on my channel and on the blog. Uh, but I personally think you should add greens to like every smoothie if possible. Um, yeah. So, try to get those fresh leafy ones. Obviously, like in a pinch, you could use frozen if you have ones that are about to go bad. Um, but yeah, the the powders, there’s a place and time for them, but I don’t think that they should completely replace the real raw stuff. The next mistake is not having a variety with your smoothie ingredients. So, same thing like I was just talking about putting greens into your smoothie. Even myself, I can get into a rut of only using baby spinach because it’s just easy to buy and throw in. Uh, but you really want to rotate your ingredients, rotate your greens, and have a variety of ingredients when it comes to making your smoothie. So, some weeks I’ll do chia seeds for my fiber and healthy fats. Some other weeks I’ll do flax. Sometimes I may add a handful of dried coconut. Um, then for my greens, I’ll alternate between kale, uh, spinach, romaine. With my fruits, I’ll alternate between berries and mango and banana. You don’t always want to be doing the same thing. I definitely have my go-to ingredients that I’m even known for just repeating putting them in my morning smoothie cuz they’re just so good. But I really do try to like swap out turmeric for ginger or swap out um, zucchini for cauliflower as my base. So, just have fun with it. You can use my smoothie guide. There’s lots of different ingredients for different sections of your smoothie when it comes to fruit, uh, ve vegetables, uh, milks and fat, fats, and protein and fiber. It’s all there. So, you can kind of just like rotate each week and try different ingredients and different superfoods and just have fun with it. Spice it up. You’re going to get bored if you’re drinking the same thing every day. Okay, this next tip is so important. You guys ask me all the time how I get a super smooth smoothie. And really, it’s all in the blender. Having a good blender is so important when it comes to making a good smoothie in my opinion. Honestly, like I have my mom I won’t say what what blender it is. My mom has a blender. It’s not my favorite. And every time I make a smoothie there, I feel like I’m a smoothie snob at her house cuz it is so pulpy and I can just feel the the texture still from all the the greens. I get like kale in my teeth and I don’t want that when I’m drinking a smoothie. And it’s just too fibrous. Like it’s too there’s too much texture. And I personally love a smooth smoothie. And honestly, it’s in the blender. And I will actually link a higherend blender as well as a affordable blender cuz I know not everyone can just go out and buy like a $600 blender. I get it. I waited years before investing in one. And even still, I was like, “Okay, should I make the should I make the investment?” And honestly, it was the best thing ever. But there are definitely options for uh depending on what your budget is. So, I will link my two favorite down below for you guys to check out. So yeah, a smoothie matters. A lot of people ask me that. Yes, get yourself a good smoothie if you know if you know you’re going to be making a smoothie every day or salad dressings or soups or like I mean ice cream. You can make so many things in a good high-speed blender. So check the links down below. Get yourself a good smoothie maker blender. Yeah, that’s what they’re called. The next common mistake is not using ripened fruit. So if you want your smoothie to be delicious and sweet and easy to digest, you want to make sure you’re using ripened fruit. So, at all times, yeah, I have one right there. I will have a bundle of bananas just ripening on the counter, and I will just have them in like rotation. One’s ripening, then once they’re ripe, I will just peel and chop them up and throw them into the freezer, and then that way they’re ready to go. I like never out of frozen banana. And you just want to make sure you’re using nice ripe fruit. So, a lot of times when you’re buying frozen fruit, they are freezing them when they’re nice and ripe. So, that’s the nice thing about getting frozen fruit. You don’t have to worry about that. Uh, but with banana, you can’t really buy frozen banana in Canada at least. It’s really hard to find. So, I just do it myself and it’s like the most cost effective just to like bananas are so cheap and they’re a great base for your smoothie. So, um, yeah, I will never eat an unripened banana. I find it it’s a little it’s too starchy. It upsets my stomach and it’s just not sweet and not delicious. So, let your fruits ripen if you’re going to freeze them or just buy frozen fruit that’s already ripe. Right. Last but not least, the final mistake is people are not adding in protein. Now, I get it. Not everyone wants to add protein powder into their smoothies. And I don’t always add protein powder into my smoothies. I feel like I kind of go into phases where I like want protein powder depending on just like if I’m going to the gym a lot or if I’m just feeling extra hungry. Uh but you it does not have to be a protein powder. There are other foods like technically protein isn’t like so many foods, so many fruits and vegetables, but obviously you want something that’s higher in protein if you’re going to add it as a supplement to your smoothie. So things like hemp seeds are a great source of plant-based protein. Obviously protein powder is a great one. Um even sporolina powder, it’s one of my favorite superfoods. Now I’ll have to double check this, but I believe sporulina powder actually has the highest amount of protein in plants. So, it may look like a small thing you’re adding to your smoothies and it makes it really green and fun. Uh, but it also adds a lot of nutrients and protein in there as well. If you’re going to buy sporina powder, make sure it’s the it’s one from Hawaii. I personally find it’s the best quality, best tasting. It doesn’t have this like nasty fishy smell and taste. I throw it in my smoothie. I don’t even notice it. Some other protein sources would be like nuts and seeds. Uh, you can throw in a small handful of some raw almonds or Brazil nuts. They’re also going to add in some healthy fats. I also love to do collagen powder. That’s like another go-to if I don’t have protein powder on hand or if I just want my hair and skin and nails to look really awesome and strong. I will add in a scoop or two of some grass-fed collagen. I’ll link my favorite down below. And it honestly does work. Like I I need a haircut so bad. I’m getting one on Sunday. Uh but yeah, so make sure you’re getting a protein in your smoothie in some way, shape, or form. whether it’s in a whole food or it’s in a powder form. Make sure the quality is good and that’s what’s going to keep you full. Protein, healthy fats, fiber. You want to get all of the food groups when it comes to your smoothie so that you feel refreshed, energized, and full until lunchtime. There you have it. Those are my 10 common smoothie mistakes I feel like people are making when blending up their