The 21-Day Smoothie Diet, created by health coach Drew Sgoutas, claims that replacing some of your meals with smoothies will lead to quick and easy weight loss.1 As with so many weight-loss plans, including restrictive diets like this one, the details are important.
As part of a balanced diet, smoothies can help you lose weight. But ingredients, portion size, and your overall eating plan will make all the difference.2 A diet consisting of mostly smoothies, however, may not work for everyone as a solution for long-term weight loss success.3
Sgoutas (who is not a registered dietitian), created the 21-Day Smoothie Diet to help his clients lose weight. His e-book, "The Smoothie Diet," contains 36 smoothie recipes, shopping lists, and a three-week schedule that details which smoothies to prepare each day. The e-book also offers a "detox" plan with recipes and instructions for replacing three meals a day with smoothies for a total of three days.
The 21-Day Smoothie Diet advises eating normally (but still "healthy") one day per week and includes a recommended food list for that day. Sgoutas suggests repeating the 21-day cycle any time you would like to lose weight, but there is limited research to suggest that a smoothie diet is an effective method for weight loss.4
In the short term, followers of this diet may lose weight. But to keep it off, they might have to stay on the diet past the 21-day period, which is not a healthy long-term solution since it means that important food groups containing vital nutrients are continuing to be restricted.
For most people, two homemade meal-replacement shakes per day, plus a "regular" meal, may not provide the right balance of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats the body needs. Any meal-replacement diet is tough to stick with for the long haul since these replacements often aren't as satisfying as solid food.
What Experts Say
"The Smoothie Diet promises rapid weight loss, but pounds shed may be regained when transitioning back to normal eating habits. While increasing fruit and vegetable intake is smart, some people may struggle to meet protein requirements on this diet without proper planning."
—Chrissy Carroll, RD, MPH
What Can You Eat?
On the 21-Day Smoothie Diet, followers prepare and drink two smoothies a day as meal replacements. The smoothie ingredients vary, focusing on lots of fruits and vegetables with some protein and healthy fats.
The diet's e-book offers some guidance on the one solid-food meal followers are advised to consume each day (including recommendations for what to eat and some "whole food" recipes), as well as suggestions for low-sugar, high-fiber snacks. You are also allowed to eat normally one day per week, so long as the meals adhere to the recommendations in the e-book.
What You Need to Know
The strict "detox" plan replaces all three daily meals with smoothies for three days. On the 21-day plan, you'll consume two meal-replacement smoothies (breakfast and lunch), one solid-food meal, and a few snacks. Though not a part of Sgoutas’ "official" smoothie diet, some plan for a "flex day" to make the diet more sustainable.
However, Sgoutas points out that if the regular meals are too high in calories, the diet probably won't be effective for weight loss. Also of note: The e-book suggests that this diet is not for people with food allergies.
What to Eat
Lots of fruits and vegetables
Nutritious meal once per day
What Not to Eat
No solid food for two meals a day
The recipes included in the 21-Day Smoothie Diet contain plenty of fruits and veggies, tend to be low in calories, and provide important phytonutrients. While fruit offers healthy nutrients, it also contains naturally occurring sugar, which may not work for you if you're trying to reduce your sugar intake. Some smoothies also call for honey, which only adds more sugar.
Additionally, most of the diet's smoothies are very low in protein, and a few fall short in healthy fats. Sgoutas does emphasize getting enough protein throughout the day and recommends at least 50 grams daily by eating a little with each meal and snack. However, some people might find it difficult to meet their daily protein needs on this plan, especially those who don't spend a lot of time meal planning.5
If you are using a smoothie as a meal replacement, make sure it contains each essential macronutrient: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. You might consider consulting with a nutritionist or registered dietician for more guidance—though they would likely suggest that you avoid a smoothie-based diet and try other, healthier strategies instead.
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