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If you want to lose weight, then eat foods, don’t drink them

A smoothie, energy drink, or protein shake may not be the healthiest choice, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Everyone is busy these days and looking for a quick way to get meals in. Often this means a smoothie, energy drink, or a protein shake. But that may not be the healthiest choice, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.  

Dr. Geri Williams joined us from Ideal You to explain why.

She said, “The biggest reason is that real food gives cues to the body through our senses to prepare our body for digestion. Think about the last time you walked into your favorite restaurant, the smell of garlic and herbs, the sounds of food being prepared your mouth is probably already watering. It’s the sight, smell, thought, and eventual taste of food that cues our body to release stomach acid and digestion hormones, as well as enzymes in our mouth that break down what we eat as we chew food. That’s why refer to food as 'mouth watering'. Drinking your food reduces or even skips this part of pre-digestion. A plate of sizzling steak with a side of grilled asparagus will trigger the body for digestion a lot more than a protein shake.” 

Dr. Geri explained why a smoothie or protein shake would not be a healthy option for weight loss.  

She said, “Drinking food in liquid form allows you to consume a lot in a couple minutes (or seconds), which can be a recipe for weight gain. Think of how many fruits go into that tall smoothie – if we had to chew all those foods it would take a lot longer and we might not finish. Teeth are a clear indication that our body didn’t evolve to skip chewing and gulp down calories like that. Chewing your food slows down the pace of calories entering your body and allows you to feel more full because it takes a few minutes for you to release satiety hormones and drinking food in liquid form skips right by that signal, making it easy to take in some extra calories before your hunger signals kick in. On top of that, the most drinks – fruit juice, fruit smoothies, energy drinks, and even many protein shakes contain too much sugar – drinking them destabilizes your insulin levels and spikes your blood sugar, which is followed by a hunger-inducing crash a couple hours later. If you're into healthy eating or you're looking for weight loss, you're best to avoid drinking smoothies and meal replacement drinks.”

According to Dr. Geri, the Ideal You program emphasizes eating real food to help people lose weight fast. She said people see results with Ideal You in the first 10 days.  

For more information, call (844) 201-1153 or visit www.IdealYou.us to take the Weight Loss Quiz. 

You’ll receive an invitation to book a Complimentary Consultation and FREE body composition analysis to find out if Ideal You is right for you. You will also receive $200 in FREE groceries when you sign up for an Ideal You program and let them help you lose 20 to 40 pounds by summer.

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