What About Shakes and Smoothies?

Here is a question that I get sometimes: what about shakes and smoothies? Are they part of a good diet? A recent flyer by a local grocery chain extolled the virtues of protein smoothies, but are these concoctions really all that they are cracked up to be? Let’s look a little deeper….

You can easily find studies showing that subjects had better blood sugar control and less hunger following a breakfast smoothie compared to a standard breakfast. Sounds good, right? However, you have to look at what they were comparing to the shakes – a Standard American Diet (SAD) style processed carb-fest of cereal and low fat milk, for example. No surprise that some fruit and protein gave better blood sugar control than a breakfast such as that! However, is that the best we can do? Not even close.

The blood sugar levels induced by a drink of blended fruit and chemically pre-digested proteins are still quite high. Living in nature, it would be virtually impossible to ever spike your blood sugar like this. If we look at shakes in this light, we can see that they are not something we should be eating if optimal health, athleticism, or longevity is our goal.

Liquid “food” will always lead to poor insulin/blood sugar control and all of the associated problems of fat gain, decreased recovery, and poor digestion. Very few individuals will take the time to “chew” their shakes, so the first stage of digestion gets passed over. Also, anytime that food is juiced or blended, the blood sugar response is greatly increased compared to simply chewing and eating the whole food.

Post workout shakes have the same problems. Many lean CrossFitters who eat a fairly strict Paleo/Zone type diet have noticed fat gain around the midsection if shakes or smoothies of any form are added to the diet! Though there are a ton of studies showing that concoctions of fast digesting whey protein and maltodextrin replenish muscle glycogen quickly, there will still eventually be a price to be paid for spiking blood sugar so high. Newer studies are starting to show that whole food recovery meals are actually superior to shakes.

With all of this dismal info, does this mean that shakes are never advised? If the carb content is kept fairly low and they are used infrequently, they can be helpful when pinched for time. I will make a breakfast shake a couple of times per month. The recipe varies, but here is the general gist:

1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp almond butter
few leftover stems from kale or similar vegetable
cinnamon
carob powder (for a chocolate flavor)
~ 25 grams of egg white protein powder
water as needed

Blend and enjoy! The carb content is low (~1.5 blocks), it has no dairy, and it has some natural fiber. This shake won’t spike your blood sugar too high, or leave you starving in a few hours. If you try this, slow down and take the time to “chew” your shake so that saliva has a chance to do it’s digestive job!

Avoid the popular chemical and fruit loaded gut bombs – and your health, recovery, and fat loss efforts will be rewarded.