FLAT-BELLY SMOOTHIES

FOUND: The missing ingredient that burns 3x more calories! (No, it's not protein.) Here, the daily drink that powers off pounds

- LISA MAXBAUER

We’ve all heard about how fruit and veggie smoothies can help us lose weight. Those green, purple and pink drinks are loaded with vitamins, minerals and protein powders. But why aren’t they sliming us down? Weight-loss experts caution that most of the health food smoothies concocted in kitchens are missing a crucial ingredient needed to rev weight loss. Sure, protein is important, but healthy fats are equally powerful.

“People are short-changing themselves on fats in their smoothie recipes,” says integrative physician and weight-loss expert Eric J. Rosenbaum, M.D., who studied at Yale University and completed his residency at Harvard Medical School. He’s helped countless women in his practice reach their weight-loss goals by adding things like coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, seeds and nut butters into smoothies.

Why does this work wonders? Without dietary fat, our body can’t properly use all the fat-soluble nutrients (like vitamin D, calcium and magnesium) loaded into these drinks, so our metabolism misses out. Plus, healthy fats help women’s bodies function better—building cell walls, keeping skin supple, supporting hormone production and boosting brain function. 

Gut-health specialist and fivetime New York Times bestselling author Frank Lipman, M.D., agrees. He says, “A protein shake for breakfast is no longer just about packing in the protein, greens and fruit. It’s about functional medicine ingredients.” Dr. Lipman, who developed the ActivatedYou Superfood Plant Protein shake, which contains fatrich hemp, likes to blend nut butter or whole nuts into his drinks.