Find Your Smoothie Plan

How to build a smoothie around a goal

The quiz asks eight questions: your main goal, how active you are, when you like to have smoothies, any dietary restrictions, how you feel about greens, your biggest smoothie challenge, your weekly ingredient budget and how long you have been making smoothies. Based on your answers, it suggests a general smoothie approach. Think of it as a recipe planner. It is not a nutrition assessment, and it knows nothing about your health history, your medicines or your calorie needs, so it can't tell you what you should eat. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or food allergies, if you are pregnant, or if you are trying to lose a significant amount of weight, a registered dietitian or your doctor is the right person to tailor advice for you.

A balanced smoothie formula

Most nutrition guidance suggests treating a smoothie as a small meal rather than a glass of blended fruit. A pattern that works well starts with a liquid base. Add one or two portions of fruit and a handful of vegetables such as spinach or kale. Then bring in a source of protein, such as Greek yogurt, milk, soy milk, tofu or a protein powder, and finish with a little fat or fiber from nut butter, oats, chia or ground flax. Protein, fat and fiber slow digestion, and that helps a smoothie keep you full for longer than fruit on its own would.

Weight management

A smoothie can fit into a weight-loss plan, but liquid calories add up quickly. A large store-bought smoothie can contain several hundred calories. When you make one at home, measure the ingredients, favor vegetables and whole fruit over juice, and hold nut butters and sweeteners to a spoonful each. For most people, what makes the real difference is drinking the smoothie as a meal replacement, in place of a meal and not alongside one.

Muscle gain and recovery

If you train, a smoothie after exercise is an easy way to get protein and carbohydrate at the same time. Greek yogurt, milk, soy milk and protein powder are all practical choices here. For most people, the total amount of protein eaten across the day matters more than getting the timing exactly right.

Energy and digestion

Oats and whole fruit provide carbohydrate that releases more slowly, and the fiber in fruit, vegetables, oats and seeds supports healthy digestion. The US Dietary Guidelines note that most Americans do not eat enough fiber. If you are adding more, increase it gradually and drink enough fluid, which helps you avoid stomach discomfort.

A note on detox and cleanse

Your liver, kidneys, gut and lungs already clear waste products from the body. There is little good evidence that any particular drink or juice cleanse removes toxins, and the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that some detox programs can be unsafe. On this site, a detox or cleanse goal is treated as a preference for lighter, plant-heavy recipes. We do not present it as a medical effect.

Skin and hair

Fruit and vegetables supply vitamins such as vitamin C and A. Even so, no smoothie is a proven treatment for any skin or hair condition. What counts is a varied diet over time.

Taking it further

Your result points you in a general direction. To turn it into an actual recipe, open the Smoothie Builder with the same goal and the ingredients you have on hand, then check the protein, fiber and sugar in the nutrition calculator. If your goal changes, say from weight loss to training recovery, take the quiz again. Many readers find that a simple plan works best: one balanced smoothie a day, at the same time each day, made from a short list of ingredients they always keep in the freezer.

Your answers are used only to show your result on this page. You don't need an account, and you can retake the quiz as often as you like. The results are general suggestions, so adjust them to suit your own appetite, budget and taste.

Sources: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025; NCCIH: Detoxes and cleanses; NHS: 5 A Day, what counts.