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Best Snacks - Healthy Low Calorie Snack Foods - Fruit Smoothies

Fruit smoothies are an excellent choice for anyone who wants a quick, nutrient packed snack. You can mix all types of fruits like raspberries, blueberries and bananas for a delicious fruit smoothie. You can either choose to make your own fruit smoothies at home or pick one up at your local smoothie store. The benefit of making your own smoothies is that you know exactly what has gone into them, and you can save yourself a small fortune too!

If you're out and about and need to pick up a quick snack, try a local smoothie shop in your area. Some of the most popular are:

• Jamba Juice
• Planet Smoothie
• Smoothie King

Add Some Protein Powder
For building muscle and burning fat, its always important to include lean protein at each meal. This includes adding protein to your smoothies. Many of the major smoothie chains now offer protein packed smoothie choices or they have protein powder "add ons" which you can add to your smoothie. Whey protein is the top choice for providing quick release protein to your muscles. If they don't carry whey protein, then ask for either egg or soy protein as an addition to your smoothie.

What To Watch Out For
One of the main things to watch out for when buying a smoothie at your local store is the base liquid used to make the smoothie. Always choose either water, nonfat milk or real fruit juice as your base liquid. I once heard about how amazing the smoothies were at a local store. Everyone raved about how much they loved them. Well, it turned out the reason they tasted so good was that they were using ice cream milk as their base for all the smoothies! They were adding tons of fat and calories to every smoothie, while their customers thought they were drinking a healthy, low calorie snack!

Another thing to watch out for is the fruit. Make sure to ask if the fruit they are adding is whole fruit or fruit juice. If they use fruit juice, make sure its not sweetened with additional sugar.

Protein Packed Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops of whey protein
• 1 cup of fresh strawberries
• 1 cup of fresh bananas
• 1 cup of nonfat milk
• 1 cup of water
• 3 cups of ice cubes

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend at medium to high speed for 30-45 seconds. Enjoy!

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