The 21-Day Smoothie Diet is a weight loss plan touted as an easy and effective alternative to fad diets.
In fact, the creator of the plan claims that the diet is associated with a long list of benefits and can help improve sleep, keep your skin glowing, skyrocket energy levels, and increase weight loss almost instantly.
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However, there are several serious downsides associated with this program, and it may do more harm than good in the long run when it comes to your health.
This article will take a closer look at the 21-Day Smoothie Diet, how it works, and some of the negative risks and side effects it may be associated with.
What is it?
The 21-Day Smoothie Diet is a weight loss plan developed by health coach Drew Sgoutas.
The plan involves swapping two of your meals each day with smoothies, and the principles of the program are outlined in the e-book, “The Smoothie Diet,” which is available online for $47.
The e-book includes 36 smoothie recipes, meal and snack ideas, shopping lists, weekly schedules, and tips for preparing the smoothies and maintaining weight loss long-term.
According to Sgoutas, the 3-week diet plan can help promote healthy eating, enhance immune function, detoxify the body, improve skin and gut health, and rev up energy levels.
Sgoutas also claims that the diet can boost weight loss. In fact, some testimonials displayed on the website claim that the plan led to up to 9 pounds (4 kg) of weight loss in just 3 days.
SUMMARY
The 21-Day Smoothie Diet is a 3-week diet plan that involves replacing two meals per day with smoothies. The program claims to enhance immunity, boost energy levels, improve skin and gut health, and increase weight loss quickly.
How to follow it
The 21-Day Smoothie Diet involves replacing two of your meals each day with smoothies using the recipes found in the e-book.
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There are 36 recipes provided in the book, created using ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and almond or coconut milk.
In addition to these two smoothies, the plan allows you to eat one solid meal per day and two healthy snacks.
Solid meals should consist mostly of whole foods, and snacks should be low in sugar and high in fiber, with around 150–200 calories per serving.
You are also allowed one cheat day per week where you don’t consume any smoothies, though meals should still consist mostly of whole, minimally processed foods.
Optionally, you can kick off the plan with a 3-day detox, which requires you to consume a smoothie in place of all three daily meals, with two healthy snacks in between.
According to the program’s website, the diet works by creating a calorie deficit, meaning that you are expending more calories than you consume each day.
The diet is also high in fiber and claims to help reset your taste buds to reduce sugar cravings.
The program is intended to be followed for 3 weeks but can be repeated as many times as needed until you ‘reach your goal weight.
Does it aid weight loss?
According to the 21-Day Smoothie Diet creator, the plan provides a total of around 1,500 calories per day.
Consuming 1,500 calories per day will lead to weight loss for many people. However, this may vary based on many different factors, including your age, body size, health status, and activity level (1Trusted Source).
The diet also encourages a variety of nutrient-dense foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, all of which are high in fiber.
Fiber moves through the digestive tract slowly, helping to keep you feeling fuller for longer, which could support weight loss (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
However, despite being low in calories and high in fiber, the 21-Day Smoothie is also very restrictive and can be difficult to follow.
Furthermore, research suggests that liquids, such as smoothies, are less filling than solid foods, meaning you may feel more hungry drinking mostly smoothies each day (4Trusted Source).
Therefore, while swapping some of your meals for smoothies may lead to short-term weight loss, it’s unlikely to be effective long-term.
