The best smoothies are made with fresh ingredients, and while you can find a lot of juice and smoothie bars offering freshly made smoothies, often they have a lot of sugar and dairy added. So if you’re going vegan and avoiding sugar like I am, this easy strawberry smoothie is one you can whip up.
Only five ingredients into a blender and you’ve got a creamy strawberry smoothie that tastes totally delicious!
It’s been over a year since I cut out sugar, and wow what a difference. Since I went vegan from vegetarian over the years, I thought I was eating healthy enough. I drank lots of water, made smoothies with fresh fruit, ate mainly raw veggies, and meals with a lot of fresh foods, so why was it that I couldn’t let go of the extra weight?
Honestly, I did everything I could— bootcamp workouts, lots of water, fresh whole food plant-based meals— but instead of dropping the weight I gained from having three kids and going through an early menopause at 40, I gained more weight. And — I didn’t lose weight until I discovered that I was eating too much sugar.
Mainly bananas, dates, and maple syrup. (Sugar, sugar, and sugar.)
Cutting out all sources of sugar, regardless of how “healthy” and “natural” it seemed, was the magic trick!
Now I make whole fruit smoothies without bananas or dates. I figured out that the frozen bananas and dates in my daily protein smoothies were not helping my weight loss goals. So by cutting out those natural sugars, my body is lighter— I lost 20 pounds and 2 dress sizes— and I have much more clarity and energy than ever before.
The main source of sugar was banana. There’s also a lot of hidden sugars in processed foods, even those “healthy” products like energy bars, granola, store bought nutmilks, and protein powders. Read your labels and make smarter choices.
The best thing you can do is make your own smoothie instead of buying one, because you know exactly what goes into it. I also make my own almond milk at home, but if I do buy other alternative milks, like oatmilk or coconut milk, I look to see what the sugar content is on the label. The same with protein powders! Look at the label and read the sugar content.
Monkfruit is my go-to sweetener. It’s made from the Chinese monkfruit (luo gan huo) and is totally safe for diabetics, pregnant women, and children. There’s no effect on blood sugar levels, and may have anti-oxidant properties. The monkfruit is similar to longan fruit, and is native to China and Thailand.
This post isn’t sponsored, I’m just sharing this brand with you because I really love Lakanto monkfruit sweetener. It’s life changing.
All you need is just a tablespoon of monkfruit. The strawberries are sweet enough, and the cashews give it some creaminess.
You’ll love this strawberry smoothie, it’s:
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Creamy
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Sugar-Free
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Fresh Strawberries
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Dairy-Free
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Whole Food Nutrition
Have it for breakfast or as a post-workout meal. It’s super healthy and delicious!
My Favorite Strawberry Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
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2 cups almond milk (or oatmilk/coconut milk)
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1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for 1+ hours
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2 cups fresh strawberries
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1 scoop plant-based protein powder
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1 tablespoon monkfruit
INSTRUCTIONS
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Add the almond milk (or other non-dairy milk), raw cashews, fresh strawberries, protein powder, and monkfruit to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
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Pour into two glasses and serve immediately.
