14 RAW VEGAN WEIGHT LOSS SMOOTHIES

14 raw vegan weight loss smoothies



By Michelle Bosmier
Posted Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 03:52pm EDT
Keywords: fat loss, green smoothies, obesity, weight loss
With the combination of fruit, greens and healthy fats… raw vegan smoothies are a great addition to any healthy diet. Being not only delicious, but calorie and nutrition conscious, these smoothie combinations will aid in obesity prevention and add countless other health benefits.

Have a look at the great smoothie recipes below that encourage highly absorbable nutrition, as well as weight loss.

1) Orange creamsicle smoothie

Oranges, non-dairy milk, greens and vanilla blend up to make a treat that is sweet and reminiscent of a classic Orange JulepTM.

Tip: Go lower fat by ditching the milk and adding frozen bananas instead. Up the protein with vanilla raw protein powder or hemp seeds.

This drink packs in fiber which aids in digestion. Oranges are low in fat, high in calcium, surprisingly high in protein and have a low glycemic index making them a perfect weight loss smoothie choice (1).

Combine these ingredients in a blender, and enjoy:

1 cup non-dairy milk
2 small oranges, cut into wedges, peeled and frozen
5 small kale leaves (or equivalent amount of spinach)
This recipe was heavily inspired by a smoothie found on ohmyveggies.com (2). See the “sources” section at the end for a direct link.

2) Mango and celery green smoothie

Mangoes and celery are a magic mix, great for after workouts and as a quick meal replacement that is nutrient packed.

This recipe, inspired by a recipe found on incrediblesmoothies.com, blends mango and celery with kiwi and mint for even more punch (3).

3 kiwi
1 mango
3 cups spinach
5 fresh mint leaves
1 medium stalk of celery
8 ounces of water
Adding celery to smoothies is great for weight loss. It is considered a negative calorie food, meaning that it takes more calories to prepare and eat than it offers. It also boasts anti-inflammatory features that help reduce general puffiness making you look better on your course to amazing health (4).

3) Make your drink with parsley

It’s important to rotate your greens for variety in your nutrition and also to keep things interesting in your diet.

Adding parsley to a smoothie makes it fresh and crisp while also being rich in iron. Iron absorption is enhanced by the vitamin C containing fruits found in this raw vegan parsley smoothie from rawfamily.com (5).

1/2 bunch parsley
1 mango
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup apple juice
1 peach
4) Classic kale banana green smoothie

Sometimes you gotta keep it simple and give one up for the classics.

A kale banana green smoothie will satisfy your sweet tooth and need for mineral density. Bananas can be a weight loss aid when used to replace processed sugar calories. They are high in fiber and potassium, and refill your glycogen tank post workout (6). The fitchen.com website has a great low calorie recipe to put in your diet repertoire (7).

It goes something like this:

2 cups kale (baby preferred)
1/2 banana
1 Tbs hemp seeds
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup water (more or less)
5) Beat a chocolate craving with a cacao green smoothie

It may surprise you that chocolate can actually aid you in weight loss.

Raw cacao, not the processed fat and sugar ladened kind, contains antioxidants that are associated with improving insulin sensitivity, giving a sustaining energy boost and aiding in depression (8).

While not directly related to weight loss, these factors can contribute to overall success when dieting. This fun smoothie from thinkmakeshareblog.com adds mint to the mix making the healthiest version of the standard chocolate mint milkshake around (9).

1 frozen chopped banana
1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup ice
1 cup milk of any kind
3 tablespoons nut butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chia seeds for healthy fats
a little honey (if desiring some extra sweetness)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6) Or make it with carob if you can’t do the cacao buzz

So raw cacao gives you a little more energy than you were looking for? No worries!

Dessert cravings while on a weight loss diet are quenched with the addition of carob to a green smoothie. This ancient food is high in fiber which aids in the feeling of fullness and helps reduce cholesterol.

Try carob in your smoothies with this recipe, inspired by the one found at choosingraw.com (10).

This recipe is the perfect backdrop to add green superfoods like spirulina, chlorella, and other micro algaes.

1 1/2 cups blueberries
4 tbsp vegan protein powder of choosing
3 tbsp carob powder
1 tsp green powder
1 generous handful spinach
1 cup non-dairy milk, such as almond or hemp
7) Keep things exciting by layering flavors

Pro smoothie tip: Make two smoothies and then layer them in your cup.

This beautiful recipe, inspired by the one found on 3boysunprocessed.com (get link from sources section at the end), combines the nutritional benefits of pomegranate with one of the best smoothie techniques around… layering. (11) Sure, it’s an extra step, but well worth it and impressive looking too! You can use this technique to make smoothie popsicles too! Just freeze each layer before adding the next.

Adding pomegranate to your healthy smoothies like in this recipe revs up the antioxidant profile and contains high levels of phytonutrients like polyphenols and phytosterols which scientific research has linked to obesity prevention. (12)

Pink layer:

1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
1/2 cup coconut water
Green layer:

1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
1/4 cup coconut water
Pistachio kale green smoothies

Like pistachio ice cream? Want to eat it while dieting? Well, you can get close by blending frozen bananas, ice, pistachios and kale into a tasty green weight loss smoothie.

This idea was inspired by the pistachio ice cream kale shake recipe found on blenderbabes.com (13). Pistachios are lower in fat than many other raw nuts and contain unique types of fat and more importantly, beautifying antioxidants such as selenium and lutien (14).

1/2 cup (4oz) of milk substitute or filtered water
1 cup kale leaves
2 bananas
1/2 cup pistachios, hazelnuts, or raw cashews
3 tablespoons honey or 1/4 cup raw pitted dates (chopped)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
Pinch of salt
2 cups ice
9) Peachy green smoothies

Peaches are a great addition to any green smoothie. Being low in fat and calories they add unique flavor, creaminess and volume. If you love peaches, you will love them in raw food smoothies like this one …inspiration from Linda Wagner’s blog (15).

When peaches are not available, nectarines or mangoes make a great substitution.

1-2 bananas
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup frozen mango
a couple handfuls of spinach
water
10. Bliss out Bali style with avocado in your raw smoothies

Some folks find adding avocado to a green smoothie to be a little odd, however in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the island of Bali, adding avocado to sweet smoothies is common practice.

The health benefits are great and really aid a fat loss plan. In scientific studies, adding half an avocado to a lunch meal showed dramatically increased satiation and reduced the desire to eat for many hours (16).

This recipe, inspired by that of one found on simplegreensmoothies.com, is a perfect template to jazz up whatever your creative heart desires (17). Tasty additions include lemon, ginger, other frozen fruits or vanilla.

2 cups kale
2 cups water
3 bananas
1/4 avocado
11. Grapefruit and greens battle cellulite

Research shows that the antioxidant naringenin found in grapefruits aids in the breaking down of fat in the liver. This really helps with raw vegan detoxification and weight loss targeting harder to breakdown fat like cellulite.

Grapefruit only contains 74 calories per cup, and like celery acts almost like a negative calorie food making it a strategic fat loss food (4). This recipe, inspired by the recipe found at minimalistbaker.com (18), adds ginger which aids in metabolism and digestion.

1 grapefruit
1 large sweet apple
2 cups spinach
1 large frozen banana
2-3 ice cubes
about 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, water or other liquid
1/2 tsp fresh ginger
12. Make a savory green smoothie

Raw smoothies used for the purpose of weight loss, do not have to be centered around sweet fruits. You can kick your cravings for salty, processed food with a savory green smoothie featuring lots of greens and veggies.

Use spicy chilis in your savory smoothies to rev up your metabolism and suppress your appetite (19). The fiber from the veggies also does wonders. This inspiration from vegenista.com (20) makes one that brings the garden direct to the blender.

1 cup water
handful of spinach leaves
handful of cucumber slices
handful of celery
handful of chopped yellow bell pepper
handful of chopped orange bell pepper
handful of cherry tomatoes
1/2 avocado
2 small garlic cloves
1/2 shallot
a few sprigs of fresh basil
1 cup ice
sea salt to taste
a few shakes of Tabasco
13. Pineapple is optimal for any raw detox

Go green, tropical style with a green smoothie containing pineapple. Pineapple is packed with vitamin C and the enzyme bromelain. Bromelain clears mucus in the body and reduces overall inflammation (21).

Try this recipe inspired from a delicious treat found at youngandraw.com (22) which combines pineapple with tantalizing mangoes.

1/2 head celery
1 cucumber (skin optional)
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup parsley
1 lemon
2 tbsp ginger
1/3 pineapple
14. Go full speed with berries and walnuts

To finish up, we would like to share a breakfast (or anytime really) smoothie for you to try.

Do you want a raw weight loss smoothie to replace your morning oatmeal? Here’s one containing walnuts and berries, inspired by the recipe found at healthyblenderrecipes.com (23).

In medical studies on weight and insulin resistance, berries were shown to aid in the absorption of glucose and prevent the absorption of fat (24). The addition of walnuts gives a smoothie omega 3 fatty acids which help stored fat to be used as energy, and increases blood flow (25).

In conclusion

Many online recipes for smoothies contain added milk, yogurt or packaged coconut products to add volume and texture. If you want to omit these and use higher raw, less processed ingredients, the above list is a great sampling for you to indulge in.

If lower fat and calories is what you’re after, add in frozen bananas. If more protein is the goal, consider raw vegan protein powder from hemp or sprouted rice, plus water to make up for the extra volume. To substitute yogurt or packaged coconut products, look for whole young Thai coconut meat or use a raw coconut butter product. Or, you can get really fancy, and make your own homemade raw coconut yogurt with beneficial probiotics, which has been shown to be effective at battling stomach bulge (26). Adding coconut to smoothies keeps you full longer, and the medium chain triglycerides don’t store the same as other fats. (27)

Smoothies have been used as a weight loss aid for years with good reason.

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Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. SUBSCRIBE here to get more from Raw Michelle!

Bonus video by Raw Cave



Sources for this article include:
(1) blogs.naturalnews.com
(2) ohmyveggies.com
(3) www.incrediblesmoothies.com
(4) www.naturalnews.com
(5) www.rawfamily.com
(6) www.livestrong.com
(7) thefitchen.com
(8) www.naturalnews.com
(9) www.thinkmakeshareblog.com
(10) www.choosingraw.com
(11) www.3boysunprocessed.com
(12) www.researchgate.net
(13) www.blenderbabes.com
(14) ajcn.nutrition.org
(15) lindawagner.net
(16) www.biomedcentral.com
(17) simplegreensmoothies.com
(18) minimalistbaker.com
(19) www.eatingwell.com
(20) vegenista.com
(21) www.naturalnews.com
(22) www.youngandraw.com
(23) healthyblenderrecipes.com
(24) jn.nutrition.org
(25) www.naturalnews.com
(26) www.choosingraw.com
(27) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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