Low calorie smoothie

A few summers ago, before smoothies were sold all over, I once stopped at a drive-thru and ordered a strawberry shake on my way home from a workout. I knew that the calories and fat in the shake pretty much undid my hard work in the gym, but the hot weather and my parched throat made me feel like the indulgence was justifiable. Nowadays, smoothies provide that same sort of refreshment, along with the promise of healthy nutrition. If you're not careful, though, you might end up getting a smoothie that has just as many calories - and just as little nutrition - as that strawberry shake. 

The key to making sure your smoothie is low in calories and fat is to keep it simple and watch the ingredient list. If you're buying a smoothie at a specialty shop or at your gym's snack bar, be aware of the ingredients. Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD, explains: "A smoothie is a delicious, portable, easy way to get in a few fruit servings and a lot of the nutrients we need, but you should look closely at what they put in it." If your choice is made with apple juice, or worse, fruit in heavy syrup, you may be getting more calories than you expect. You also need to keep an eye on serving size; getting the extra-big cup for an extra 50 cents might not be worth it if the extra calories throw off your intake for the day.

Being an educated consumer is easy at Jamba Juice, a growing U.S. smoothie chain, because they publish their nutrition information so you know what you're getting. And boy, do some of their selections give you a lot! Their pamphlet reveals that one of their 24-ounce smoothies is made with chocolate milk, nonfat milk, nonfat frozen yogurt, peanut butter, banana and ice, and gives you 755 calories along with 19 grams of fat. If you're keeping an eye on your calorie intake, you'll probably want to go with one of their berry or citrus-based smoothies, which don't pack quite the same caloric punch.

Our recipe here is about as basic as can be but still offers the creamy, cool refreshment of a higher-calorie drink. If you'd like to increase the protein, throw in a little more milk or your preferred type of protein powder. In fact, you should feel free to experiment in all sorts of different ways with your own smoothie recipes - if you have a blender and a well-stocked refrigerator, your kitchen can become your own smoothie bar!

Lighter & Leaner Smoothie

1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup strawberries, frozen
1/4 cup blueberries, frozen
1/4 cup fat-free raspberry yogurt
2-3 ice cubes

Put all ingredients into a blender and mix at high speed. Makes one serving. 
Per serving: 162 calories, 8 g protein, 29 g carbs, 1.5 g fat, 3 g fiber.