These smoothies are toxic and also make you fat
Most people trying to eat healthy or lose fat automatically think that all smoothies are healthy.
NOT true!
In fact, I stopped at a smoothie shop after I was done at the gym today hoping to find a reasonably healthy smoothie, and as is almost always the case, it was pretty much impossible to find any smoothies that were made in a truly healthy way.
There are TWO major issues that I see at almost every single smoothie shop I've ever been to:
1. Death by Sugar!
Most smoothies are absolutely LOADED with sugar... this comes not only from the fruit juices and syrups used in many smoothie shops, but also the frozen fruit purees that contain added sugars on top of the fruit sugar, as well as the liquid bases that many smoothie shops use such as rice milk (which is basically sugar water with no protein; I have no idea why anybody thinks rice milk is healthy).
In fact, did you know that an average smoothie at some of the most popular smoothie shops contain as much as 80-120 grams of sugar...Ouch! If you don't know the math, 100 grams of sugar is a whopping 25 teaspoons... Just think that every time you gulp down one of their supposed "healthy" smoothies, you could be eating as much as 25 teaspoons of pure sugar. No wonder so many struggle to lose any body fat while they think they're eating "healthy".
I've found it almost impossible to avoid the extra sugar and carbs at most smoothie shops, and aside from a few rare places that do it right, your best bet is always to make smoothies at home and NOT at a smoothie shop. Just use REAL frozen berries as the frozen part of your smoothie and natural stevia if you need a little extra sweetness. And I either use unsweetened almond milk as the base, or a grass-fed plain Kefir mixed half and half with water (since most Kefirs are pretty thick to use as a smoothie base)
2. Terrible protein sources used in smoothies with toxic chemicals
The 2nd MAJOR problem I find with almost all smoothie joints is that they use terrible protein powders that are pretty much ALWAYS sweetened with deadly artificial sweeteners.
Just ask to look at the ingredients of the protein powder that the smoothie joint is using. I guarantee you'll see either sucralose, aspartame, or acesulfame potassium most of the time, all of which are artificial sweeteners that are terrible for your health. As you know from this article, sucralose (splenda) has even been shown to DAMAGE your gut flora balance by killing off good bacteria that are responsible for dozens of functions to keep your body and immune system healthy.
To make things worse, most smoothie shop employees are clueless on what an artificial sweetener even is... I'm not kidding! Just today, when I stopped at my gym's smoothie shop, I asked the employee if the protein powders they use in their smoothies have artificial sweeteners or if they have any that use only natural sweeteners like stevia. He looked a little confused, but replied that he "thinks" all of them are natural. So I asked to see the bottle that they use, and sure enough... it contained BOTH sucralose and acesulfame potassium. I chose to decline any smoothies at this place, because they simply didn't have any healthy options at all.
If you haven't tried it already, the protein powder that I've been using for the last year, which is naturally sweetened with a blend of non-caloric natural sweeteners, AND is the best-tasting protein I've ever had, is this protein here (shockingly tasty!)
Aside from the artificially-sweetened protein powders that most smoothie shops use, another problem is that many smoothie shops also use soy protein, which is something you want to avoid if you want to lose fat. Most soy protein comes from GMO soy, and also contains a high level of both phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens, both of which can contribute to hormonal issues in both men and women. I personally always stay away from soy protein at all times. Remember, a little fermented soy like miso occasionally is fine, but soy protein is the worst of the worst in terms of concentrated estrogenic compounds.
So as you can see in today's article, about 99% of most smoothie shop smoothies are a disaster for your health, almost always using deadly artificial sweeteners in the protein powders, and/or as much as 80-100 grams of sugar with the syrups and sugary liquid bases that they use. You're better off making them at home with just frozen berries, raw nuts, kefir, unsweetened almond milk, a good naturally sweetened protein, and a little stevia if you need any more sweetness to it.
My good friend Dr Jonny Bowden, has another warning about smoothies for you here.
PS -- if you liked today's article, please fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
NOT true!
In fact, I stopped at a smoothie shop after I was done at the gym today hoping to find a reasonably healthy smoothie, and as is almost always the case, it was pretty much impossible to find any smoothies that were made in a truly healthy way.
There are TWO major issues that I see at almost every single smoothie shop I've ever been to:
1. Death by Sugar!
Most smoothies are absolutely LOADED with sugar... this comes not only from the fruit juices and syrups used in many smoothie shops, but also the frozen fruit purees that contain added sugars on top of the fruit sugar, as well as the liquid bases that many smoothie shops use such as rice milk (which is basically sugar water with no protein; I have no idea why anybody thinks rice milk is healthy).
In fact, did you know that an average smoothie at some of the most popular smoothie shops contain as much as 80-120 grams of sugar...Ouch! If you don't know the math, 100 grams of sugar is a whopping 25 teaspoons... Just think that every time you gulp down one of their supposed "healthy" smoothies, you could be eating as much as 25 teaspoons of pure sugar. No wonder so many struggle to lose any body fat while they think they're eating "healthy".
I've found it almost impossible to avoid the extra sugar and carbs at most smoothie shops, and aside from a few rare places that do it right, your best bet is always to make smoothies at home and NOT at a smoothie shop. Just use REAL frozen berries as the frozen part of your smoothie and natural stevia if you need a little extra sweetness. And I either use unsweetened almond milk as the base, or a grass-fed plain Kefir mixed half and half with water (since most Kefirs are pretty thick to use as a smoothie base)
2. Terrible protein sources used in smoothies with toxic chemicals
The 2nd MAJOR problem I find with almost all smoothie joints is that they use terrible protein powders that are pretty much ALWAYS sweetened with deadly artificial sweeteners.
Just ask to look at the ingredients of the protein powder that the smoothie joint is using. I guarantee you'll see either sucralose, aspartame, or acesulfame potassium most of the time, all of which are artificial sweeteners that are terrible for your health. As you know from this article, sucralose (splenda) has even been shown to DAMAGE your gut flora balance by killing off good bacteria that are responsible for dozens of functions to keep your body and immune system healthy.
To make things worse, most smoothie shop employees are clueless on what an artificial sweetener even is... I'm not kidding! Just today, when I stopped at my gym's smoothie shop, I asked the employee if the protein powders they use in their smoothies have artificial sweeteners or if they have any that use only natural sweeteners like stevia. He looked a little confused, but replied that he "thinks" all of them are natural. So I asked to see the bottle that they use, and sure enough... it contained BOTH sucralose and acesulfame potassium. I chose to decline any smoothies at this place, because they simply didn't have any healthy options at all.
If you haven't tried it already, the protein powder that I've been using for the last year, which is naturally sweetened with a blend of non-caloric natural sweeteners, AND is the best-tasting protein I've ever had, is this protein here (shockingly tasty!)
Aside from the artificially-sweetened protein powders that most smoothie shops use, another problem is that many smoothie shops also use soy protein, which is something you want to avoid if you want to lose fat. Most soy protein comes from GMO soy, and also contains a high level of both phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens, both of which can contribute to hormonal issues in both men and women. I personally always stay away from soy protein at all times. Remember, a little fermented soy like miso occasionally is fine, but soy protein is the worst of the worst in terms of concentrated estrogenic compounds.
So as you can see in today's article, about 99% of most smoothie shop smoothies are a disaster for your health, almost always using deadly artificial sweeteners in the protein powders, and/or as much as 80-100 grams of sugar with the syrups and sugary liquid bases that they use. You're better off making them at home with just frozen berries, raw nuts, kefir, unsweetened almond milk, a good naturally sweetened protein, and a little stevia if you need any more sweetness to it.
My good friend Dr Jonny Bowden, has another warning about smoothies for you here.
PS -- if you liked today's article, please fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
posted by Mike Geary at
1:35 AM
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