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Iulia Serban, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Master's degree in Nutrition and Quality of Life.
One of the most delicious 2000-calorie smoothies you can drink to gain weight more easily is this apple-based smoothie, created by upgrading our High-Calorie Apple Smoothie from 594 to 2014 calories.
To divulge some of the smoothie's nutrition facts from the start, it is very high in protein, rich in carbs, and low in fats.
Let's get to the interesting part: the recipe.
To prepare the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie, you need 3 pieces of kitchen equipment:
This smoothie has the same ingredients as our original High-Calorie Apple Smoothie but in greater quantities.
Specifically, we tripled the amount of apples to keep the smoothie's main flavor.
Secondly, we added 4 times more 2% fat Greek yogurt to keep the slightly thicker texture.
Also, we quadrupled the quantity of peanut butter to really boost the smoothie's calories.
And, of course, we added 3 times more whey protein powder to keep the protein level high.
Ultimately, we put 350% more apple juice for drinkability and a more intense apple flavor.
If you are vegan, on a dairy-free diet, or allergic to nuts, you need to substitute some of the ingredients in the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie to make it satisfy your needs.
For vegans and dairy-free diets:
For nut allergies:
First of all, wash and then slice the apples, like in the picture above, to get the core out of the apples and make them fit in the blender.
Don't peel the apples because their skin contains many nutrients.
Think whether all the ingredients will fit inside your blender.
If you use a blender with a capacity of less than 2.6 l (88 fl oz), break the ingredients into two or more identical portions, then follow the next instructions for each of them individually.
Add the ingredients to the blender, making sure the apple juice ends up at the bottom of the blender.
In case you have a blender with an ingredient recipient that must be turned upside down when installed on the blender, always add the apple juice lastly. This way, the blades will work smoothly without clogging in other ingredients.
Blend the ingredients until the smoothie develops a fine texture (about 30-60 seconds).
If you own a less powerful blender, you may need to mix the ingredients for longer than 1 minute. Still, to prevent overheating your blender, abide by the recommended blending duration in your blender's manual.
Pour the smoothie into a glass or a shaker bottle, and serve.
You're done!
The smoothie has a fine texture that merges a pleasant apple flavor with nuances of peanut butter.
Unless you share it with somebody else, you'd probably want to split this smoothie into multiple portions scheduled during the day.
Why? It has almost 3 liters.
For ease of use, after pouring the smoothie into different recipients, you can store them in the fridge for around a day.
On top of being a treasure of calories, the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie is rich in proteins and carbohydrates while having only a slight amount of fats.
Therefore, this smoothie will give you energy, help you build muscle, and boost your weight gain efforts.
Also, because it's low in fats, this smoothie counts among the low-fat high-calorie foods.
Continuing, let's see how each ingredient contributes to the overall nutrition facts of the smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Raw apples with skin.[1]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Apples bring 52% of the carbs in the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Unsweetened apple juice.[2]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Apple juice brings 34% of the smoothie's total carbohydrates.
Source: Nutritionix - 2% Greek yogurt.[3]
Name: Nutritionix
Type: food database
Operated by: Syndigo LLC
Characteristics:
The 2% fat Greek yogurt is responsible for 30% of the total proteins in the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Creamy peanut butter.[4]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
The smooth peanut butter, which counts among the high-calorie nut butters, brings 70% of the smoothie's total fats.
Source: FoodData Central - Whey-based protein powder.[5]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
The whey protein powder brings 57% of the total proteins in the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie.
The 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie has plenty of health benefits, from gaining weight to improving health and saving money.
Explore the smoothie's main benefits below.
First of all, the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie makes you gain weight easier by increasing your caloric intake without satisfying your appetite for too much time.
As social proof, according to the ranking of best weight gain foods for females, 91% of the females who gain weight successfully drink smoothies as part of their diet.
Without a doubt, the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie can boost anyone's caloric intake by a great amount because it has 2014 calories.
All of these calories will ease your efforts to achieve a daily caloric surplus, the essential condition for gaining weight according to the International Society of Sports Nutrition.[6]
Name: International society of sports nutrition position stand: diets and body composition
Type: journal article
Published in: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Another helpful characteristic of our smoothie is that it will keep your appetite satisfied for a shorter time than if you were to eat its equivalent in solid food.
Therefore, the 2K Apple Smoothie brings convenience to the weight gain process by helping you eat more food in a briefer period of time.
To establish this fact, a University of Bristol study compared fruit smoothies with fresh fruits and other drinks in terms of satiety. They concluded that fruit smoothies are more filling than drinks less alike to food (e.g., water and milk), but less filling than solid foods.[7]
Name: A Comparison of the Satiety Effects of a Fruit Smoothie, Its Fresh Fruit Equivalent and Other Drinks
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrients (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: University of Bristol
The 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie can enhance your ability to build muscle because it has 132 g of proteins, which come mainly from the whey protein powder and the Greek yogurt in the smoothie's composition.
As proof, a pre-workout serving of 20 g of protein, according to a University of Birmingham trial on protein ingestion effects, is enough to aid in muscle-building.[8]
Name: Stimulation of net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after exercise
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (peer-reviewed journal)
Yet, drinking all of the 132 g of protein in one sitting will make you miss much of the muscle-building fuel lying in this 2000-calorie smoothie.
According to a scientific review on daily protein distribution, the maximum number of proteins you can eat and process effectively for muscle-building in one sitting is 0.55 g per kg of body weight.[9]
Name: How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution
Type: journal article
Published in: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
For example, if you have 80 kg (176 lbs), you shouldn't eat more than 44 g of proteins in one sitting.
Fortunately, the solution is simple. Split the smoothie into two or more portions scheduled around the day, depending on your weight.
Our apple smoothie increases energy levels because it's full of carbs, which come mainly from the apples and apple juice in its composition.
In the end, as stated in a University of Lausanne study on the energy potential of carbs, carbohydrates are the main energy source for humans.[10]
Name: Carbohydrates as a source of energy
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (peer-reviewed)
Made at: University of Lausanne
The 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie is great at strengthening bones because it's made with Greek yogurt, a source of calcium.
The low-fat Greek yogurt in the smoothie brings 529 mg of calcium, which is around 53% of the daily recommended intake of calcium.
Another benefit you get out of consuming the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie is a boost of antioxidants, given the blend is made with two good sources of antioxidants: apples and peanut butter.
Apples, according to a Cornell University study on apples' health benefits, contain a variety of strong antioxidants.[11]
Name: Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrition Journal
Made at: Cornell University
Antioxidants, according to a scientific review of antioxidants, increase health protection and disease prevention.[12]
Name: Antioxidants: Molecules, medicines, and myths
Type: journal article
Published in: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (peer-reviewed journal)
On top of enhancing immunity, the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie may be proficient at combating colon diseases.
According to a German study about apple smoothies' effects on the colon, apple smoothies may be more efficient at protecting against colon disease than apple juice or apple cider.[13]
Name: Colonic availability of polyphenols and D-(−)-quinic acid after apple smoothie consumption
Type: journal article
Published in: Molecular Nutrition Food Research
Made in: Germany
You also benefit financially from adding the 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie to your diet. The ingredients required to make one such smoothie cost only $11.9.
After all, two of the smoothie's ingredients, peanut butter and apple juice, count among the list of cheap high-calorie foods.
To follow our 2000-Calorie Apple Smoothie recipe in a compressed format, check the summary below.
Don't forget to leave a comment and a rating in the comment section found at the very end of this article.
Now, why don't you explore other smoothie recipes below?
If you want to try other homemade smoothies that can help you gain weight, visit our full list of high-calorie smoothie recipes,
And if you want to get creative, you can build your own high-calorie smoothie recipes. Learn what can you add to your smoothie and how to bring extra calories to it from our guide on how to make high-calorie smoothies for weight gain.
Bored with smoothies?
Try switching high-calorie smoothies for high-calorie shakes or some other beverages with plenty of calories. If you don't know the difference, check our smoothie vs shake comparison.
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