7 Ways to Make Sure Your Smoothie Isn’t 1,000 Calories

You’re smart enough to know that store-bought smoothies can be sugar bombs in disguise, but you’d never make those mistakes at home, right? Brace yourself for some tough love, because it’s super easy to overdo it when you’re tossing things into a blender, even when those things are power foods like whey protein and nut butter.

“Just because you call it a smoothie doesn’t automatically make it a great choice,” says Lisa De Fazio, R.D, author of the forthcoming Women’s Health Big Book of Smoothies Soups (out November 8, wherever books are sold). “Loading up on the wrong ingredients can shock you with a 12,000 calorie drink!”

The first rule of living that smoothie life: measure everything. De Fazio notes that lots of blender pitchers have measurements etched right on them. Beyond that, these seven rules will show you how to keep your cup in check: