You may think building a healthy smoothie is easy. Grab a blender and throw in a bunch of fruit, add sweeteners, and milk or juice, and call it good. But think again. When done right, smoothies can indeed be very healthy. Plus, they’re a convenient and easy way to pack in essential fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants all in a drinkable form.

However, when done wrong, drinking what you perceive as “healthy,” might backfire. When packing smoothies with a bevy of ingredients, a super healthy smoothie easily becomes a disastrous overload, pushing in excess of 500 calories plus and a surplus of sugars sabotaging attempts at both weight loss or keeping blood sugar under control.

Could you be making these same “smoothie mistakes” and not know it? If so, you’re not alone. Smoothies are a commonly made concoction in many households and often used as a meal replacement. But to avoid bungling a smoothie, learn the right way to build a delicious, nutritious, and filling smoothie, keeping everything in balance.

Common smoothie mistakes to avoid

To understand the art of healthy smoothie-making, it’s important to know mistakes to avoid. See if you might be guilty of any of the following:

Putting in too much fruit: I’ve listened to plenty of clients who proudly describe in detail the overabundance of fruit they add to a smoothie recipe. More is better, right? Wrong. Fruits are a mainstay of smoothies offering a variety of nutrients your body needs. But remember, moderation is key. Too much of a good thing will disrupt the balance between calories and carbs. The rule of thumb is to use about one cup of no more than one to two fruits per smoothie.

Adding in too many sweeteners: A sugar is a sugar, no matter what form it’s in.  If you like sweetening-up your smoothie by adding in honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar, as examples, a heavy hand will up the calorie and carb ante – a lot. Whatever fruit you’re using should be “sweet enough” without needing to rely on added sugars.

Drinking a smoothie with a meal: Most smoothies are consumed early morning for breakfast. A high protein, fruit and veggie-packed smoothie can be a nutritious way to begin your day, and likely has sufficient calories to meet your needs for that meal. But if you’re also having that smoothie along with a bowl of cereal or oatmeal or a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast, either cut out the smoothie or significantly lighten it up to still enjoy it alongside your other foods.

Going overboard with nutrient boosters: Some smoothie zealots like to “beef up” the nutritional value by adding in extras like protein powders, peanut or almond butters, or chia seeds. While these can be used, if amounts are unchecked, calories add up quickly. Consider that just one tablespoon of peanut or almond butter contains 100 calories. Again, moderation rules.