Smoothies are now available at tons of nationwide coffee shops and fast-food joints. Good news for healthy eaters, right? Eh, maybe if you want an energy-sucking sugar crash to follow that 20 oz tropical fruit blend.
Truth is, most
fast-food smoothies are seriously bad for you. Don't get us wrong,
they taste delicious, but they're high in calories and often loaded with added
sweeteners and super-sweet juice concentrates instead of actual fruit. Some
even top 100 grams of sugar per serving—that's like an entire pint of ice
cream!
But don't despair: For every sugar
bomb, we found a healthier swap with no or minimal added sweeteners. (Get your
sugar cravings under control and lose weight while still enjoying the sweets
you love with Sugar Smart Express.)
Orange Julius
Orange Julius
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Worst: Tripleberry
Smoothie
Berries are lower in sugar than most fruits,
so it's a little confusing that Orange Julius' Tripleberry is so sweet.
The 16-oz medium has 390 calories and 86 grams of sugar—more sweet stuff than
you'd get from four Snickers bars.
Best: Light Strawberry Banana Smoothie
This classic flavor has 200 calories and 42
grams of sugar in the same 16-oz cup—by far the best Julius offering.
Panera Bread
Worst: Low-Fat Wild Berry Smoothie
Don't put much stock in "healthy"
claims like "low-fat." This smoothie is the worst of Panera's bunch,
with 68 grams of sugar and 340 calories in a 16-oz medium cup. Part of the
problem? It's made with sweetened vanilla yogurt.
Best: Superfruit Power
Smoothie with Ginseng
You're way better off with this blend: It
maxes out at 210 calories and 34 grams of sugar, thanks to plain Greek yogurt
and a bit of the natural no-calorie sweetener stevia. Plus, it has more than
double the protein of the Wild Berry flavor, so you stay fuller longer.
Tropical Smoothie Café
Worst: Kiwi Quencher Smoothie
This chain only serves one size (24 oz), so forget about portion control. If
you choose this seemingly healthy flavor, you'll ingest 254 calories and 100
grams of sugar—roughly the sweetness equivalent of an entire pint of ice cream.
Best: Detox Island Green Smoothie
This smoothie (made with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, banana, and fresh
ginger) clocks in at a far more reasonable 182 calories and 32 grams of sugar.
That's a sugar savings of 68%!
Smoothie King
Worst: Orange
Ka-BAM
BAM, indeed: Even in the smallest size
(20 oz), this smoothie has 469 calories and 108 grams of sugar. That's as much
sweetness as you'll get from almost three cans of Coca Cola. In fact, the chain
actually adds pure sugar into this smoothie: "Turbinado," one of sugar's sneaky names, appears right on the
ingredients list.
Best: Original High Protein Banana
A 20-oz cup of this smoothie has just 23 grams
of sugar and 314 calories. We also like the simple ingredients list: banana,
whey protein powder, and almonds.
Jamba Juice
Worst: Greens 'n
Ginger Smoothie
Don't be fooled by word "greens:"
The first ingredient in this smoothie is lemonade. That's probably why a 16-oz
cup has a whopping 66 grams of sugar and 330 calories.
Best: Orange Carrot Karma Smoothie
This blend still has a high sugar count at 48
grams, but it's much lower in calories (just 180) and it's made without added
sweeteners. The only ingredients: carrot juice, mangos, banana, and ice.
Starbucks
Worst: Evolution Fresh Mango Carrot Smoothie
Here's another example of the veggies-aren't-always-better principle: Each
16-oz cup of this smoothie has 42 grams of sugar and 230 calories.
Best: Chocolate Smoothie
This flavor is still high in sugar (34 grams per 16 oz), but it does have one
advantage over the others: It's rich in protein and fiber, both of which slow
the release of sugar into your bloodstream, helping prevent blood sugar spikes
and crashes. The extra boost comes from a whey protein/fiber powder, but that's
about as much information as we can get, since Starbucks doesn't share detailed
ingredients lists on its website.
Planet Smoothie
 |
| Chocolate Smoothie |
Worst: Captain Kid
This "smoothie" is better classified
as a dessert: The two ingredients are strawberries and orange sherbet. It's no
surprise that a 22-oz cup packs 350 calories and 75 grams of sugar—that's more
sugar than seven Krispy Kreme original donuts.
Best: PlanetPro Lite Banana
& PB
With a total of 27 grams of sugar, this is one
of the least sweet smoothieswe've
found. It does have a high calorie count of 540, but Planet Smoothie wisely
markets this variety as a meal replacement. Order it for that purpose and
you'll be in the clear.
McDonald's
Worst: McCafé Mango Pineapple Smoothie
McDonald's has yet to create a healthy
smoothie. All three of the chain's smoothie flavors are basically identical in
their nutrition stats, but Mango Pineapple edges out the rest with 56 grams of
sugar and 260 calories in a 16-oz medium cup.
Best: McCafé iced coffee with light cream and French
vanilla syrup
We can't in good conscience recommend a
smoothie here. Your best liquid bet if you need a subtly sweet hit on the go is
an iced coffee. It packs 19 grams
of sugar and 120 calories for the same 16-oz portion, or you can forgo the
liquid sweetener and stir in one sugar packet for just 4 grams of added
sugar. (Sources from http://www.prevention.com/food/worst-fast-food-smoothies-and-better-options)