Skip These Smoothie Mistakes

It’s two hours until showtime, and you want a quick bite to give you a boost. So you run into your local smoothie shop and order the Strawberry Surprise. Perfect plan, right? Not necessarily. The word “smoothie” doesn’t automatically translate to superfood. But done right, it can be a dancer’s secret weapon, leaving you satisfied without the bloat, and energized without the sugar crash. The trick is to avoid these six common mistakes.

Mistake: Overdoing Fruit

Fruit is healthy—in moderation. “You don’t need three servings of it to start your day,” says dietitian Lauren Slayton, founder of Foodtrainers in New York City. Keep your drink heavy on the veggies, and stick to just one serving of fruit. Vegetables have very little to no sugar, and pack a greater nutritional punch.

Mistake: Adding Juice

“One of the great things about blended smoothies (as opposed to juicing) is that you retain the fiber and other nutrients in the skins of the fruit,” says Emily C. Harrison, dietitian at the Centre for Dance Nutrition at Atlanta Ballet. “Adding juice is more like adding sweetener.” Instead, Harrison recommends using almond or soy milk for a boost in calcium and vitamin D, or simply water.

Mistake: Over Sweetening

It may be tempting to add a sweetener, but you really don’t need it. “Smoothies are naturally sweet,” says Harrison. Try your favorite smoothie without extra sweetener and see if you can taste the difference. If you insist on adding something, Slayton suggests just a few drops of liquid stevia or other natural sweeteners. “Agave, maple syrup or honey are okay if you truly stick to a few drops,” she says. “But never go for Splenda. That puts the ‘ugly’ in the good, bad and ugly of smoothies.” The chlorinated artificial sweetener is made primarily of sucralose, which comes with a whole host of negative side effects.

If you’re ordering a premade smoothie, beware: “Most are full of sugar,” warns Harrison. For example, even Smoothie King’s small Hulk Vanilla drink packs a whopping 88 grams of sugar—about as much as two bags of Skittles. According to the American Heart Association, women shouldn’t be consuming more than 25 grams per day of added sugar (not including the naturally occurring sugars in fruit).

Mistake: Adding Protein

Mixing in protein powder is usually unnecessary. “Most dancers get enough protein through their diets,” says Harrison. “So adding extra protein is basically just adding extra calories—and it doesn’t magically make your muscles bigger.” If you do want to pump up your protein intake, Harrison suggests sticking to pea or hemp protein: “They come from plant-based sources, which have been shown to be healthier in the long term.”

Mistake: Skipping Fat

Repeat after us: Fat is not a dirty word! “Fat provides staying power,” says Slayton. Adding a tablespoon of healthy fats is an easy way to keep yourself satisfied through long performances. Slayton’s favorites are coconut oil (“great for burning fat,” she says), hemp seeds and almond butter.

Mistake: Creating A Calorie Bomb

That aforementioned Hulk Vanilla smoothie boasts 801 calories—essentially making it a glorified milkshake. Harrison suggests keeping your smoothie to 8 to 16 ounces, depending on whether you’re drinking it as a snack or a meal.