Smoothie bowls are the newest health craze. On any given day you can scroll through the Instagram hashtag #smoothiebowl or Pinterest and see the prettiest smoothie bowl photos on the web.

However, just how healthy are they?

Well that completely depends on who you ask. As with anything, if you overdo it, it can become just as unhealthy as eating McDonald’s everyday.

Why is it healthy?

Most smoothie bowls contain a mix of healthy green vegetables, such as kale or spinach, which are rich in vitamins and fiber as the main component (or base). For a kick of Vitamin C, often times berries are added. Lastly, adding proteins and healthy fats such as nuts, help keep you fuller longer, than most carb filled foods.

The bad

Bigger portions and more ingredient options can add up to a bowl full of calorie overload. Since many smoothie-bowl recipes call for three or four pieces of fruit plus generous amounts of liquid and toppings, you’re dealing with a high volume of sugar and calories — sometimes 1,000 calories or more! Large amounts of nuts, seeds, peanut butter and avocado can also jack up the fat content — healthy fat, but excessive nonetheless.-Food Network

So how do you keep from falling into the “unhealthy” smoothie bowl trap? Well here are five ways that may help:

1. Make it yourself

Nothing is better than preparing your own meals. This is because you are in control of everything that is added (or not) and the size the bowl.

2. Size matters

It’s best to make your bowls on the smaller size. Reduce the ingredients in most smoothie bowls recipes by at least half. Most of the fruit portions are more than what is typically recommended. This will help you to better portion out the size.

3. Don’t go fruit crazy

It’s easy to get caught up in making a beautiful bowl that you are about to devour (after posting it on social media of course), but the last thing you want to do is load your bowl with a ton of toppings that are high in calories. I know, you probably won’t end up with 10,000 likes on your photo, but you also don’t want to end up with a bunch of unwanted weight either.

4. Protein

Adding protein will help you feel fuller longer. Go for a protein source like chia seeds which also helps stabilize your blood sugar.

5. Greens, Greens, Greens

Make sure you include a good mix of greens in your bowl. Just because you need them.

Now that we have that covered, let’s see some gorgeous smoothie bowls!

15 Smoothie Bowls You Will Go Absolutely Insane Over

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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