Fruit Smoothies and Juices: As Healthy As You Think?
Juicing / Fruit Smoothies / Juice Cleanses
These fads that claim to help you ingest more fruits and veggies have become a phenomenon of sorts in our culture within recent years, but how healthy are they, really?
A 20-ounce Blueberry Heaven smoothie from Smoothie King contains 64 grams of sugar, a 12-ounce wild Berry Smoothie from McDonald’s has 200 calories and 25 grams of sugar and a 16-ounce Strawberry Banana Vivanno Smoothie from Starbucks has 280 calories and 41 grams of sugar.
Pure, freshly juice fruit juice has become a popular alternative to sugary sodas and caffeinated beverages. The majority of us know that store bought juices are bad for us due to the fact that they are high in sugars and calories, but what about all-natural, freshly squeezed juices?
Vegetables are the best ingredients to juice because they allow for faster, better digestion, but fruit juices are generally lacking much fiber and are high in sugar.
A QUICK BREAKDOWN OF JUICING AND SMOOTHIES…
PROS
- Easy to consume fruits and vegetables you wouldn’t normally eat on their own.
- Relatively easy to make in the comfort of your own kitchen.
- Healthful goodness of smoothies and juices can be harnessed if the beverages are made at home, which affords you the opportunity to choose wholesome ingredients every time.
- Fruit juices contain essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
CONS
- Your juices or smoothies may be high in calories if they contain pure fruit juice. Adding some good sources of protein like almond milk, Greek yogurt, flaxseed and peanut butter can help to balance this.
- A juice-only diet may mean that you aren’t getting enough fiber or protein to create the sensation of feeling full. This may also cause you to lose muscle mass.
- When you juice, you don’t get the fiver that’s in whole fruits and vegetables, because the pulp is often times left behind.
- Commercially prepared smoothies may contain ingredients that you do not want to ingest on a regular basis, like high fructose corn syrup, fruits in syrup, canned fruits, processed sugar or regular yogurt.
- Some people may rely on smoothies and juices so much that they stop eating fruits and vegetables in their native form.
AS FAR AS SMOOTHIES GO…
Ingredients to exclude
- Ice cream and sherbet
- Chocolate syrups and powders
- Any added sugars or sugar substitutes
- Cheap protein powders
- Cool Whip or whip cream
- Cream soda
Ingredients to include
- Fresh and frozen fruit
- Fresh vegetables
- Fresh sprouts
- Yogurt (organic, Greek, homemade)
- High quality superfood green powders
- Superfoods (cacao, maca, aloe vera, goji berries, spirulina, etc)
- Herbs and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cayenne, mint, etc)
- Hemp seeds and hemp protein
- Raw nuts and nut butters
- Various coconut products (shreds, flakes, raw meat, oil, butter)
- Flax seeds and oil
- Chia seeds and chia seed gel
- Oatmeal
Need more meal planning help?
At BeWell 365, we are helping people achieve their health and fitness goals every day. If you could use more guidance planning your meals, contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Ready to stop fad dieting and start living healthy?
Sources
webmd.com/diet/juicing-health-risks-and-benefits
nutritionstudies.org/are-smoothies-good-or-bad/
www.healthysmoothiehq.com/what-makes-a-smoothie-unhealthy
superhumancoach.com/pros-and-cons-of-smoothies-with-natural-ingredients/
www.livestrong.com/article/555187-can-you-drink-smoothies-in-place-of-fruits-vegetables/
authoritynutrition.com/fruit-juice-is-just-as-bad-as-soda/
justjuice.org/juicing-fresh-fruit-is-fresh-fruit-juice-good-or-bad-for-you/
