Q. I have fallen in love with smoothies, but as you say, they can be “FODMAP bombs.” Can you tell me more about how to make smoothies with gut-friendly ingredients?
A. Smoothies have never been more popular! And why not? They taste great, they can be assembled quickly, and they offer a convenient way to have a meal while on the job or on the go.
Most of my patients have IBS, so I typically think about how smoothies fit into a low-FODMAP diet. But some have other conditions that require them to eat less roughage, or to consume a soft or small particle size diet. For these folks, smoothies are a great way to enjoy the flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables with risking trouble.
As healthy as smoothies can be, however, they have some belly-ache potential.
I recently saw a young man with a long history of IBS. His symptoms had become more severe starting about 6 months earlier. I asked him if his diet had changed around that time, and he told me a familiar FODMAP story. He had been trying to improve his diet, to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to eat more home-prepared meals. (Awesome!) His new regimen included a large smoothie every day for breakfast. (Uh-oh.) It included almost 3 cups of fruit (bananas, mixed berries, and frozen mangos), pureed with a blender full of orange juice, regular yogurt, and a sweetened, high fiber protein powder. (Umm—that smoothie might explain a few things.)
Those of you who are already familiar with FODMAPs might see the problems he encountered with ingredient choices and portion sizes. If you are new to low-FODMAP eating, let’s break down smoothie logic, one element at a time, and what you need to do to keep a smoothie lower in FODMAPs while getting what you need from it:
Smoothie Components
Liquid: Smoothies need a liquid base. Popular low-FODMAP options include lactose-free yogurt, 99% lactose-free kefir, protein-fortified/lactose free cow’s milk, or almond milk. Skip the fruit juice—save your FODMAPs for fruit itself. Use enough liquid to help your blender do a good job grinding and pureeing the other ingredients (about 1 cup). If you don’t have IBS or are definitely not lactose intolerant, you can use regular milk products.
Ice cubes: Ice cubes are optional. Use 1/2 cup of ice cubes in your smoothie if you like an extra-cold, slushy consistency.
Use 1/2-1 cup fruit in your smoothie.
Fruit: Choose low-FODMAP servings of fresh or frozen fruit, usually about 1/2 to 1 cup (yes, really). Some popular smoothie fruits include blueberries, strawberries, and bananas, and kiwi. Frozen fruit and veggie blends are available, but avoid those which contain apples, mango, blackberries, or watermelon. If you don’t have IBS, use any fruit you like.
Vegetables: The addition of vegetables turns your drink into a “green smoothie.” While this is a great way to increase your intake of vegetables (and increase the volume of your smoothies), green smoothies can take a little getting used to. Baby spinach leaves are a “gateway” vegetable for smoothies. Start with a handful and increase as desired. Other vegetables that can be used in smoothies include carrots, cucumbers, baby kale, kale, collards, chard, arugula, and beet greens. I don’t recommend celery or celery juice as a smoothie ingredient because it is relatively high in FODMAPs.
This lovely chard would make a nice addition to a green smoothie!
Protein: For a complete meal, you may want some protein in your smoothie, in addition to the protein from the dairy ingredients you may have used as the liquid. Consider adding a scoop of lactose-free cottage cheese or a few ounces of firm tofu. Protein powders are also popular in smoothies. My favorites are made from plain or minimally processed egg whites or lactose-free whey protein, because they are low in FODMAPs and they have a great taste and texture. More about low-FODMAP protein powders.
Customize your smoothie
For a complete meal (and some soluble fiber), add 2 tablespoons of rolled oats.
For weight gain, add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter, or up to 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil.
For more fiber, add a spoonful of chia seeds, ground flax seeds, or psyllium husk.
For anti-inflammatory effects, fresh ginger and turmeric are healthful and flavorful additions.
For a hint of sweetness, add a teaspoon of pure maple syrup or honey.
For probiotics, use a fermented milk product like kefir or yogurt as part of the liquid in your smoothie.
Double the recipes, divide in two, and save the second serving of another meal or snack later the same day.
DO you need a high-speed blender?
It depends. Most people will be able to make delicious fruit smoothies with any countertop blender. But if you’ll have ongoing need for a soft, low roughage or small particle size diet, for example if you have gastroparesis or are at risk for bowel obstructions, you could think of a high-speed blender as a medical necessity. Consider a Vitamix or a Ninja. High-speed blenders are also nice to have for making vegetable smoothies because they can completely pulverize the stringy bits and seeds into a smooth liquid.
Get organized
Organize your smoothie supplies at the beginning of the week and keep them together in the refrigerator.
Preparation is the key to quickly assembling smoothies. Have all of your ingredients on hand at the beginning of the week. Group them together in an organizer bin or shoebox in your refrigerator. When it’s show time, just pull the box out and you’ll have your smoothie put together in no time. Same goes for the frozen ingredients. Prepare them ahead of time and keep them together in the freezer. For example, peel and mince fresh ginger or turmeric immediately after purchase, and freeze 1-smoothie portions in a foil twist. If you like using frozen bananas, peel, quarter and freeze a multi-day supply of them as soon as they are at the ripeness you prefer.
Build-Me-Up Breakfast Smoothie
INGREDIENTS:
Disclosure: I was provided with a free sample of drink wholesome protein powder by the manufacturer. (It was delicious!)
2 tablespoons rolled oats
½ cup yogurt (regular or lactose-free)
½ cup milk (regular or lactose-free)
1 tsp ground flax seeds
½ cup frozen blueberries
½ banana
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 serving protein powder
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Directions:
The Build-Me-Up Smoothie is a small well-balanced meal.
In a blender, grind the oats into a powder. Add the yogurt, milk, flax seeds, blueberries, banana, peanut butter, protein powder and maple syrup.
Blend on high speed until smooth. If the blender blades won’t engage add some extra milk.
Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator or a thermos for later in the day.
For a printable PDF version of this recipe, click here. Or, see the demonstration video I made of this recipe for IFFGD’s 2024 Virtual Digestive Health Well & Walk.
Originally published August 8, 2017. Revised and re-published June 19, 2024.
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