How Many Calories Are in a Green Smoothie?

 

 

Green smoothies are life-changing, helping you to become lean, strong and to have higher energy — but how many calories are in a green smoothie?

The number of calories in a green smoothie varies. Though green smoothies are typically low in calories, just how low-calorie they are depends on the recipe.

I suggest letting the purpose of the green smoothie determine the calorie count:

• ⊙ is the smoothie a meal, or just a snack?
• ⊙ did you exercise yesterday?
• ⊙ are you mostly hoping to: reduce body fat, gain muscle, or maintain weight?

How you answer these questions will determine what kind of green smoothie you make for yourself.

Green Smoothie Calorie Breakdown

The leafy green vegetables used in a typical green smoothie are very low in calories. Of course, a nutritionally dense green smoothie can benefit from a variety of other raw food ingredients.

 
If someone is not having an immediate and positive response from drinking freshly made green smoothies, it’s often because their smoothies do not have enough calories! A good green smoothie must have some clean fat and protein (by strategically using the right seeds and nuts), otherwise it becomes “too carby” and can create blood sugar spikes. For this reason, I caution you not to try to “shave” calories by removing coconut, seeds, or nuts from a recipe. If you’re going to reduce any ingredient in a smoothie, it should be dairy, fruit — or any ingredient that is refined or processed in any way.

The fun part of entering the new, magical world of freshly made green smoothies, is discovering what flavors enhance each other and what particular food combinations you prefer. For example, after years of experimenting, I’ve found that spinach-and-mango seem to work beautifully together, as do kale-and-pineapple. What new combinations will you discover!?

When I first started making green smoothies, I used a lot of frozen bananas. Frozen bananas make smoothies taste like milkshakes! After about 8 months or so, I found that my tastebuds changed, and I gradually lessened my use of bananas because I started to want less-sweet smoothies. However, to this day, I still recommend that beginners use frozen bananas as an ingredient in their smoothies, just to get the ball rolling (and with the intention of one day reducing their banana intake after they’ve become accustomed to the smoothie lifestyle; this way, they will eventually decrease the amount of sugar within each smoothie. You can see how to use frozen bananas in your blender).

Here are two of my green smoothie recipes. Take a look at the calorie breakdown.

Recipe #1: Tropical Green Smoothie

• 1/2 cup or more of raw kale ~ 16 cals
• 1 stalk of celery ~ 7 cals
• 1/8 cup of raw sprouted pumpkin seeds ~ 90 cals
• 1/2 cup pineapple ~ 45 cals
• One heaping tablespoon of plant-based protein “powder” (optional for athletes) ~ 55 cals
• 1 teaspoon of coconut flour ~ 10 cals
• 1/2 teaspoon of bee pollen ~ 8 cals
• 3 dashes of ginger and 1 dash of turmeric ~ 2 cals
• pure water and ice

Total Calories: 278

“for every extra 100 calories a person eats (or drinks) each day,
that adds up to 10 pounds at the end of a year.
Just 100 calories! You know how EASY that is?”
~ Dr. Chris Mohr

The two recipes in this article are just samples. For more varieties — my best recipes — I encourage you to checkout the Longevity Lifestyle Kit.

Recipe #2: Spinach Mango Smoothie

• 1 1/2 cups of frozen organic spinach ~ 38 cals
• 1 cup of other raw organic vegetables (e.g. chard, yellow or red bell peppers, parsley, cucumber) ~ 25 cals
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of raw organic macadamia nut butter ~ 54 cals
• 14 small cubes of mango (about 1 1/2 cups) ~ 90 cals
• One heaping tablespoon of plant-based protein “powder” (optional) ~ 55 cals

Total Calories: 262

I know of some Paleo athletes who — for additional protein — will add one raw (washed) organic farmer’s market egg; bringing the grand total to 325 calories.

 

 
“…if you saw my driver’s license photo, you wouldn’t recognize me in it — I barely recognize myself! The photo was taken before I discovered freshly made green smoothies, back when I was, well, fatter. After making and drinking smoothies for a year, all of that weight came off, plus my face looks less puffy and more youthful. I eventually had to get new clothes, even my ‘skinny clothes’ were too chubby.

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth-sailing: in the beginning, I made some mistakes (pretty much the same mistakes everyone makes). For instance, when I first started, I put milk and banana into a blender and then added some powder I got from a can at the grocery store. Wrong! That is not a freshly made green smoothie! Also, at first, smoothies made me light-headed and wouldn’t sustain my energy, but Dane showed me on to use the right ingredients and the right ratios. It turns out, I needed to add more ‘clean fat,’ such as raw, sprouted seeds. Thanks to Dane, I feel better now than I ever have before. Freshly made green smoothies ROCK!”

                                              ~ David, Age 58, International Relocation Specialist
 

If you feel like you really want to try using green smoothies to lose fat, increase your energy, detoxify your body and improve your health, then I encourage you to get the new Longevity Lifestyle Kit.

The 5 Best Smoothie Recipes eBooklet is one of many life-enhancing items within the new Longevity Lifestyle Kit. This eBooklet will help you to eat better. You can purchase this eBook separately for $4.95, or save money purchasing the Full Longevity Kit.
 
You can have instant access to this life-improving information right now!

 

“…I’ve always been a no-breakfast person.
But what I didn’t realize was that
skipping breakfast only made me lethargic and lazy all day long.
And I’d eat a whole lot more at lunch than I would have otherwise!
So, when I came across Dane’s smoothie recipes,
I decided to give them a shot.
Only one week in and I already feel much more energetic
than I have in the last ten years.
And I also tend to eat less lunch
which is great to control increasing weight.
I plan to start smoothies for lunch too.
Slim waistline, here I come!”

                            ~ Rabab Kahn, Editor / Bertelsmann Foundation

Caloric Intake: Doing the Nutritional Math

What’s interesting about this, is that it’s generally believed that the body can process approximately 600 to 800 calories at a time, and that when you exceed that amount the body then has to store some of that food energy as fat.

So, if we use that 600-calorie mark as a barometer, we can see that these green smoothie recipes are providing us with a nutrient rich meal, packed with dietary fiber, and low enough in calories to prevent an increase in body fat.

I encourage you to experiment with these two simple green smoothie recipes. Use them as jumping-off point, adding or subtracting other ingredients and calories based on your unique needs for any given day. Or, if you don’t have time to experiment and just want to know quickly how exactly to make the best, healthiest, and most delicious green smoothies, you can order one of our eBooklets for a few bucks, or — better yet — enjoy the value and savings of picking up the complete Longevity Lifestyle Kit.