How To Make Sure Your Smoothie Bowl Isn’t A Sugar Bowl

I’m sure you’ve all seen photos of the bright and colourful smoothie bowls on my social media. I love seeing them decorated with berries and tasty toppings — they look so amazing!

While smoothie bowls can be both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat, you might be wondering if they are actually healthy. I have some good news and some bad news when it comes to that question! To avoid turning your smoothie bowl into a sugar bowl, keep reading!

Are smoothie bowls healthy?

With all the taste of your favourite smoothie, it’s no wonder people love a smoothie bowl. 

Smoothie bowls can be great for getting more protein, fibre and carbohydrates into your diet, plus they look amazing. 

Now, even though many of the ingredients in a smoothie bowl are healthy, you should be careful not to go overboard and end up packing in way more sugar than you expected. 

There are a couple of ways that you can take a healthy smoothie bowl and make it into an unhealthy one. I’ve got a few tips to help you stay on track with your smoothie bowls!

How to make a healthy smoothie bowl

If you want to keep your smoothie bowl healthy, there are a few things to watch out for. 

Firstly, keep in mind that if you are ordering a smoothie bowl from your favourite cafe, you may not know exactly what is in it. Some cafe smoothie bowls, like acai bowls, for example, may also have extra sugar substitutes added, such as maple syrup or honey. When you make a smoothie bowl yourself, you know exactly what it contains and how much it contains. That way, you control how much sugar is added to your bowl.

Here are some other tips to keep in mind when making a smoothie bowl:

Watch your portion size

As beautiful as many smoothie bowls look online, so many of them are much larger than one serving. If you are making a smoothie bowl for breakfast, a good portion size to aim for would be between 200-250ml (6-8oz). While it’s tempting to fill up your blender with delicious ingredients, it can lead to overeating. 

Don’t go overboard with the fruit

Fruit is fantastic for providing your body with nutrients. What you have to be mindful of is how much fruit you’re using in a smoothie bowl. Once blended, the volume of fruit you are left with tends to be much smaller. This might tempt you to add more, providing your body with a bigger hit of carbohydrates that can raise your blood sugar sharply. 

Try to stick to two serves of fruit (remember this is serves, not pieces of fruit) for the base of your smoothie bowl. To add bulk and get the texture you want, use veggies (such as spinach) or some Greek yoghurt.

Don’t add too many toppings

I know it’s all about the presentation but just be mindful of what you’re using to top your smoothie bowl. 

Toppings such as dried fruit can add extra sugars and salts to your smoothie bowl without you even realising it. Go easy on the sweet toppings and instead use unsweetened shredded coconut, chia seeds, bee pollen, chopped almonds or a little almond butter. 

Don’t forget the healthy fats!

Another way to make your smoothie bowl better for you? Add in some nuts or a little nut butter. This can help balance out some of the sugar in the fruit, plus healthy fats have a great satiating effect too. 

My favourite healthy smoothie bowl recipes

I love the colour of my raspberry peach smoothie bowl, it is perfect in summer when it’s warm outside!

For those of you who love a classic flavour, this chocolate peanut butter smoothie bowl is hard to beat. 

Try out a healthy smoothie bowl

Hopefully these tips have helped you to understand how to keep your smoothie bowl from being high in sugar and unhealthy. 

If you’re feeling inspired to get creative in the kitchen and to whip up a delicious smoothie bowl, be sure to check out the recipes on my blog!