Smoothies all they’re cracked up to be?

Usually not.  They thought being "nutritious" and "all natural"…but careful, most smoothies that I’ve researched are VERY high in calories and loaded with sugar and fat.
 
But don’t take my word for it…  listen to what many nutritionists have to say:
 
It’s true, fruit smoothies can provide a lot of nutrition, but they pack in the calories as well. One 24-ounce smoothie provides about 450 calories. That’s the same amount of calories in 10-12 doughnut holes!  (By the way, a McDonalds Quarter Pounder has  510 calories)
Solution: Save fruit smoothies for occasional indulgences or make less caloric homemade versions
 
Smoothies offer a lot in a nice, portable package. Look under the lid, though, and you may find some things you don’t expect, including up to a whopping 500 calories a serving — almost a quarter of the average person’s recommended daily intake. You might also find giant supplies of syrups and sugars (simple carbs) that can spike blood glucose; artificial sweeteners, flavors and preservatives with questionable health profiles; pesticides and herbicides from chemically farmed produce; and commercial bases of frozen yogurt, sherbet and ice cream that turn smoothies into little more than cleverly concealed shakes. And what about those supplement powders and “boosts” that many vendors add? They generally promise far more than they can realistically deliver and, in some cases, may even interfere with medications.
 
The worst juice-bar offenders are generally those made from frozen yogurt and sherbet bases, many of which contain high-fructose corn syrup or sugar as a leading ingredient, and which may also contain chemical stabilizers and texturizers. Smoothies made mostly from all-natural fruit juices, although healthy in that they don’t contain any additives, may still be high in sugar.
 
It’s the high sugar that makes smoothies so appealingly sweet, of course, but to your metabolism, those same sugars can make a smoothie largely indistinguishable from a soda or milk shake — particularly if you choose one of those vat-sized smoothies currently selling faster than Frappucinos. Such big helpings of sugar send blood glucose levels spiking, causing the pancreas to produce a flood of insulin in response. Because there’s not enough fiber, protein or fat in most smoothies to slow down the digestive process, soon after the sugar spike comes the crash, which can leave you craving more sugar.
 

3 comments

  1. make your own. You can get huge bages of mixed fruit in the frozen food section. Add either maple syrup or honey as your sweetener. Instead of ice cream try soy milk, or skim. If you not into milk products try oj. Soy yougurt or regular yougurt with juice smoothies will also give it that creamyness you\’d get from ice cream.

  2. I have had those fruit smoothies made at specialty shops but I still prefer the home made fresh fruit version I make.  I use real fruit, ice cubes and depending on the fruit combo I choose I may throw in some cinnamon or vanilla for extra flavor.

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