Here's Exactly What Happens to Your Body if You Drink a Smoothie Every Day

Woman pouring a smoothie

Smoothies are often seen as an emblem of health. It’s true that enjoying a smoothie for breakfast can certainly be more nutritious than having a bowl of sugary cereal or a pastry. Of course, how a smoothie impacts one’s health depends on what the smoothie is made of and what the rest of one’s diet looks like.

When a smoothie is made with nutrient-rich ingredients, it can benefit the body in several key ways. In fact, the health impacts of smoothie-drinking are so valuable that registered dietitians say it’s okay to have one every single day—especially when you vary the type of smoothie you make to get a wider range of nutrients. If you are going to have a smoothie every day, it’s important to know how to make it as healthy as possible.

Related: If Losing Weight Is at the Top of Your To-Do List, Get Started With These Delicious Smoothie Recipes

Tips for Making a Healthy Smoothie

Debbie Bessen, MS, RD, CSO, a registered dietitian with Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, recommends using a combination of produce and protein-rich ingredients when blending up a smoothie. “Keep it simple and balance out the fruit that is normally used in a smoothie with high-protein ingredients like plain Greek yogurt, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, nut butters, nuts and seeds,” she says, adding that including spinach or kale ups the nutrient density.

Alex Oskian, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian and nutrition coach with Working Against Gravity, agrees, saying, “Aim for ingredients that can provide vitamins and minerals, including veggies, fruits, whole grains and protein sources. Pack a smoothie full of different fruits and veggies of various colors to ensure that you are consuming a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.”

There are six key components registered dietitian Jenny Beth Kroplin, RDN, says a smoothie should have: liquid, protein, healthy fat, fruit and vegetables. She explains that protein and healthy fats are important because they provide the body with energy, help keep blood sugar levels stable and ensure the smoothie is satiating. The fruits and vegetables provide fiber, antioxidants and a wide range of other nutrients. She explains that the liquid used in a smoothie can be water, nut milk, milk or coconut water, all of which can help with the consistency and help cut down on sugar, as opposed to using a fruit juice base.

Related: Smoothies With Benefits! 23 Power-Packed Smoothies to Start Your Day Right

5 Ways Having a Smoothie Every Day Impacts Health

The health effects of having a smoothie every day depend on what’s in the smoothie, what one’s current health looks like and their other dietary and lifestyle habits. After all, having a nutrient-rich smoothie for breakfast is great, but it can’t undo the negative health impacts of eating nutrient-poor food the rest of the day and not having other healthy habits in place. But when a nutrient-rich smoothie is integrated into a lifestyle consisting of other healthy habits, it can benefit the body in several important ways.

1. You may get sick less often

Oskian points out that a smoothie made with fruits and vegetables is high in antioxidants and other nutrients that support immune health, such as vitamin C (found in foods including kiwi, cantaloupe, strawberries and oranges). This added immune support helps protect the body from illnesses, so you could find yourself getting sick less often.

Related: Here Are 15 Foods to Give Your Immune System a Much-Needed Boost, According to Doctors and RDs

2. Your bowel habits could become more regular

Smoothies are good for the gut. Kroplin says enjoying a smoothie every day can help with getting adequate fiber, which most people don’t get enough of. (You want to aim for between 25 and 30 grams a day.) This, Kroplin says, can help with regularity and avoiding constipation.

“A daily smoothie just may result in you visiting the bathroom due to the fiber content of some ingredients. Fiber can help bulk up and improve transit time. So enjoying a variety of fiber sources in your daily smoothie—such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts and seeds—just might keep you regular,” adds Oskian.

If you really want to support your gut with your smoothie, Bessen recommends adding yogurt or kefir, which are high in probiotics.

3. You’ll have more energy

As long as your smoothie includes protein and healthy fats, the dietitians say you can expect to experience more energy compared to when skipping your morning meal. “Without eating calories, the body simply can’t go. Very much like a car and gasoline, it needs gas to actually get down the road. Calories are the body’s gasoline. That means that adding in a daily smoothie can be a great way to boost energy and provide energy in a convenient, on-the-go method!“ Oskian says.

4. You’ll be supporting your heart

In addition to short-term benefits like more energy and more regular poop habits, drinking a smoothie every day has long-term health benefits. For example, Kroplin says that smoothies are great for heart health. This is because many of the ingredients used in smoothies (like fruits, vegetables and nuts) are high in antioxidants, which help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

5. You might lose weight

If you are trying to lose weight in a healthy way, Kroplin says that incorporating smoothies into your diet can help. As long as the smoothie has protein and healthy fats, it will be satiating enough to prevent you from wandering into the kitchen shortly after consuming it looking for a snack. Smoothies are also lower-calorie and more nutrient-rich than many other breakfast foods, like pastries and breakfast sandwiches.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons for incorporating a smoothie into your daily routine. Have fun experimenting with different ingredient combos to switch up the flavor and type of nutrients you’re getting. With each sip, you’ll be supporting your body both in the present and the future!

Next up, here are 37 smoothie recipes bursting with health benefits.

Sources

• Debbie Bessen, MS, RD, CSO, registered dietitian with Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey

• Alex Oskian, MS, RDN, registered dietitian and nutrition coach with Working Against Gravity

• Jenny Beth Kroplin, RDN, registered dietitian