Is keto smoothie good for weight loss?

Low calorie keto smoothie recipes support weight loss. You can add dark leafy greens, berries, seeds, nuts, peanut butter, dark cacao powder, protein powder, Greek yogurt, almond or soy milk to your favorite keto smoothie.

Which foods are keto?

People on keto should limit their daily carbohydrate intake to the minimum. The total carbohydrate intake of a ketogenic diet should be no more than 50 g a day. Certain ketogenic diets further limit the daily consumed carbs to 20 g.[1]

Hence, most popular smoothies, such as banana smoothie, aren’t suitable for a ketogenic diet. They contain too many net carbs.

Milk & yogurt are key ingredients for any smoothie recipe

First, any keto smoothie could contain Greek yogurt or whey protein. They’re great keto-friendly foods.

Whole milk Greek yogurt contains 3.25 g of sugars per 100g. A tbsp of Green yogurt contains only 0.5 g of sugars.

Moreover, whey protein powder contains only 1 g of sugars per 100g! A scoop of whey protein contains negligible amounts of net carbs! Whey protein powder is among the best foods for weight loss.

Hence, both Greek yogurt and whey protein are ideal ingredients for keto smoothies.

In contrast, cow’s milk isn’t keto-friendly. Whole-fat cow’s milk contains 4.8 g of sugars per 100 g. A glass contains 12 g of sugars. 2% fat milk contains slightly more sugars.[2]

People on keto can drink cow’s milk only in moderation.

Furthermore, only unsweetened milk or yogurt are keto-friendly. Most sweetened foods are packed in sugars.

Plant-based milks are great ingredients to keto smoothies

Many plant-based milks can be great alternatives to cow’s milk. For instance, unsweetened almond and soy milks are great ingredients to a keto smoothie, as they contain less than 0.5 g of sugars per cup!

In particular, soy milk is great for weight loss. First, it has fewer calories than cow’s milk. It has a great nutritional value as well. Soy milk is particularly rich in protein, calcium and iron.

Actually, soy milk as well as most common soy products is ideal for a ketogenic diet. Soybeans have the lowest carbohydrate content among common beans, while they have the highest fat content.

You can find a wide variety of plant-based milks on Amazon.

Keto-friendly fruits for smoothie

Certainly, most fruits aren’t keto-friendly. They’re too high in sugars. However, there are certain fruits low in carbs that are ideal for keto smoothies.

Avocado is the king of any ketogenic diet. Both California and Florida avocados are pretty low in sugars. They contain only 0.3 g and 2.4 g of sugars per 100g, respectively. Fiber is the main carbohydrate in avocado.[3]

Actually, avocado supports weight loss. Due to its high fiber and protein content, avocado keeps us full and prevents cravings for fattening foods. Moreover, avocado has a superior nutritional value. For instance, it’s particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for good health.

Berries are also great ingredients for any keto smoothie. They’re particularly low in sugars.

You could add a handful of whole berries to your keto smoothie. 1 oz of cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or blueberry contains less than 3 g of sugars. All raw berries are keto-friendly!

Also, all berries, and especially, raspberries are good for weight loss. Not only, they have only a few calories, but also, they’re high in fat-burning phytochemicals.

sugars (g)
per 100g
sugars (g)
per 1 oz
Juice –
sugars (g)
per 100 mL
cranberry4.31.112.1
raspberry4.41.111.4
blackberry4.91.27.7
strawberry4.91.27.7
blueberry102.56.5
Sugar content of common berries.

Moreover, berries are beneficial for our health. First, berries are pretty rich in fiber. For instance, a serving of strawberries provides up to 12% of the recommended daily intake of fiber.

Furthermore, berries are packed with antioxidant compounds. such as flavonoids, stilbenes, tannins, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids.[4]

A diet high in antioxidants supports good health and healthy aging. It may reduce the risk of chronic disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. Also, it may delay the onset of aging, improve digestion, and boost the immune system![5,6]

However, you shouldn’t eat dried berries, or any other dried fruit. Dried fruits aren’t keto-friendly. They’re pretty high in sugars. For instance, dried cranberries and blueberries contain 73 g and 68 g of sugars per 100g, respectively.

Fruit juices aren’t keto either.

Other common fruits relatively low in sugars are cantaloupe and grapefruit. You could add small portions of these to your favorite keto smoothie. Especially if you follow a ketogenic diet that allows you to eat up to 50 g of net carbs.

Other popular fruit juices, like pineapple, orange, apple, or pomegranate juices, aren’t keto-friendly. They contain at least 8 g of sugars per 100 mL.

As a rule of thumb, you should prefer eating whole fruits. Whole fruits contain fiber. Fiber prevents spikes of blood sugar and regulates appetite! A diet high in fiber is good for weight loss.

In addition, a high-fiber diet has been associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases. Also, it may reduce high blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels, enhance immune functions, and improve insulin sensitivity.[7]

Keto smoothie rich in vitamin C

Most noteworthy, if you like the sour taste of lemon juice, it could be a great ingredient for your favorite keto smoothie. Not only lemon and lemon juice is keto-friendly, it’s also particularly rich in vitamin C.

If you want to boost the vitamin C content of your favorite keto smoothie, you could add lemon juice. Actually, lemon juice is the only common keto-friendly fruit juice. It has only 2.5 g sugars per 100 mL.

Getting high amounts of vitamin C is essential for good health. However, it’s a bit tricky to get adequate amounts on a ketogenic diet. Vitamin C is only found in abundant in certain plant-based foods.

Keto-friendly foods rich in vitamin C are lemon, kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, and bell peppers. Most of them can be great ingredients to keto smoothies!

Other berries contain less vitamin C. Raspberry is the second richer common berry, containing 26 mg of vitamin C per 100g. Blackberry (21 mg), cranberry (14 mg), and blueberry (10 mg) have less vitamin C.

Dark leafy greens for keto smoothies

Other great ingredients for your keto smoothie are all green leafy greens, like turnip greens, kale and spinach.

Dark leafy greens supports weight loss and good health, as they’re packed with antioxidants, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. On the other hand, they’re pretty low in calories and sugars.

Kale is among the healthiest foods you can eat. It’s particularly rich in protein, calcium, iron, fiber, chlorophyll, vitamin C, and vitamin K. It’s ideal for any keto diet for weight loss. It has only 0.8 g of sugars per 100g.

Spinach is another great ingredient for a healthy keto smoothie. It has only 0.4 g of sugars per 100g, while it’s packed with protein, fiber, calcium, iron, and carotenoids!

Other common keto greens are broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, celery, and cucumber. Actually, most non-starchy vegetables are low in net carbs. They’re suitable for keto diets.

Furthermore, you could add herbs and spices to your keto smoothie. Not only herbs and spices are keto-friendly, but also, they’re among the richest foods in antioxidant compounds!

Seeds & nuts are keto-friendly

Also, you could add seeds and nuts to your keto smoothie. They’re keto-friendly foods. Seeds and nuts are mainly fat and protein. They contain negligible amounts of sugars.

A great ingredient for any smoothie recipe is ground flaxseeds, as they’re among the richest foods in omega-3s. Chia seeds are also particularly rich in omega-3s.

Moreover, you could try keto smoothies with peanut butter and dark cocoa powder. They’re also keto-friendly foods.

However, you shouldn’t add more than 1 oz of seeds or nuts to your smoothie. Especially if you want to lose weight. Seeds and nuts are calorie-dense foods. We lose weight only if we consume fewer calories than we burn.

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