Take for example Jamba Juice Strawberries Wild, which lists Apple-Strawberry Juice Blend, Nonfat Frozen Yogurt, Strawberries, Bananas, Ice on the ingredient list (1). Juice blend? Frozen yogurt? The nutrition facts are not so stellar either, for a sixteen oz smoothie you get 52 grams of sugar and 60 grams of carbohydrates. This amount of sugar is comparable to a regular Coca Cola! Similarly, another large smoothie chain, Smoothie King, offers the Orange Ka-Bam which comes in at a whopping 108 g sugar and 117 grams of carbohydrates for a 20 oz smoothie (2). I don't know about you, but i thought i was doing my body a favor by gulping these smoothies.
So instead of spending your 5 bucks on one of these sugar bombs, make your own healthy version at home! All you need is some sort of blender, i prefer the Magic Bullet because of the easy clean up and travel-ability (is that a word? haha). There is no special recipe for a healthy smoothie, but i recommend packing in more veggies and fewer fruits. This will assure you are getting many of the vitamins and minerals with fewer calories. Did you know the USDA recommends we all should be eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables every day? Throwing your veggies in a smoothie is a perfect way to make sure you get enough of these miracle foods every day.
My current recipe:
- 1 cup spinach (could also be any other leafy green salad mix, kale etc)
- 1 large organic carrot
- 1/3 large cucumber (about a 3 inch segment, peeled)
- 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 small frozen banana
- 3/4 cup 1% milk
Nutrition Stats: 197 calories, 2 g Fat, 37 g Carbohydrates, 25 g Sugar, 9 g Protein
Though this contains 25 grams of sugar, it is all from natural sources. Fructose is a natural "sugar" found in fruits and lactose is a natural "sugar" found in milk. The goal is to avoid excessive amounts of added sugar, like in juice, yogurt, ice cream, frozen yogurt and of course sugar or syrups, including honey.
The cucumber gives this a refreshing taste and the banana and blueberries give it enough sweetness. I personally do not add any sugar or sweetener to my smoothie, but if you are just starting to experiment with these smoothies, you may want to add some stevia or agave for added sweetness.
For added protein: consider adding 1 tbsp peanut butter or 1 cup plain greek yogurt.
For extra healthy fats: consider 2 tbsp ground flax seed or 1/2 of an avocado
There you go, a quick and easy alternative to those expensive, sugar filled smoothies!
Sources:
1. Jamba Juice (2012). Classic Smoothies. http://www.jambajuice.com/menu-and-nutrition/menu/smoothies/classic-smoothies
2. Smoothie King (2012). Nutritional Information for a 20 oz size. http://www.smoothieking.com/smoothies/nutritional-chart.php
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