Smoothie King

[crisper57]

I have a question about Smoothie King, Jamba Juice, and similar "healthy" juice bars.

Are they actually healthy?

I've always been taught it is preferable to eat your calories, rather than drink them.

Smoothie King advertises slim-n-trim smoothies that I assume are meal replacements. They can add protein, reduce calories, and add other "enhancers" to the mix to make it healthier.

However, looking at their "trim down" menu, I see that the sugar in a 20 oz smoothie ranges from 40-93g, which is more than most people should have in a full day. I guess a lot of this sugar comes from the fruits they are blending, but I can't tell if they are adding even more sugar on top of that.

I know, they are probably fine as the occasional meal replacement. They probably won't hurt anything in moderation. But for someone who is trying to lose weight, is incorporating smoothies into the weekly intake a net benefit or a net loss to an otherwise healthy routine?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Like anything in today's world of nutrition, I suspect the real answer is maybe. Depending on who/what you read, fruit is great for you or fruit is good for you or fruit is acceptable for you or fruit is not so good for you or fruit is horrible for you. I know nothing of the places you've mentioned but I believe a balanced diet high in vegetables augmented with fruit and other items is the best way to lose weight and recapture your health. So, that said, if you're in control of what goes into your smoothie or juice it can be good for you but not necessarily so if Smoothie King or Jamba Juice is selecting the ingredients.

I used to be type 2 diabetic. I don't consider myself a diabetic any longer (although the industry insists you're a diabetic forever) and I haven't taken medication in years. I have a smoothie every morning and I believe it was critical in changing my health. My homemade breakfast smoothie delivers 2 servings of fruit and 6 to 8 servings of Spinach, Kale or Parsley. It's very nutritious. If someone were to sell this commercially it would probably end up being 4 servings of fruit and 2 servings of leafy greens, which would be a lot tastier but nowhere near as healthy for you.

Steve

 

[Mulli]

That amount of sugar will probably lead to a blood sugar spike and crash. Might just be better as a once in a while thing. Are they really using fresh fruits/vegetables? Can you just make one at home that is healthier?

 

[crisper57]

That amount of sugar will probably lead to a blood sugar spike and crash. Might just be better as a once in a while thing. Are they really using fresh fruits/vegetables? Can you just make one at home that is healthier?

Probably can do it better. Need to buy a juicer anyway.

I saw him put in fruits and veggies. Then he dumped in powder that he said was protein, but who knows if there was sugar or anything else mixed with it.

Probably not the best option if I don't know every single ingredient, but it will likely do in a pinch if I need a quick meal. It'll certainly be better than the McDonalds or Panda Express down the street.

 

[Mulli]

Probably can do it better. Need to buy a juicer anyway.

I saw him put in fruits and veggies. Then he dumped in powder that he said was protein, but who knows if there was sugar or anything else mixed with it.

Probably not the best option if I don't know every single ingredient, but it will likely do in a pinch if I need a quick meal. It'll certainly be better than the McDonalds or Panda Express down the street.

Probably so. Try it. the smoothie not the gross mcd or panda.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Probably can do it better. Need to buy a juicer anyway.

I saw him put in fruits and veggies. Then he dumped in powder that he said was protein, but who knows if there was sugar or anything else mixed with it.

Probably not the best option if I don't know every single ingredient, but it will likely do in a pinch if I need a quick meal. It'll certainly be better than the McDonalds or Panda Express down the street.

I'm not too fond of juicing, it's an incredible waste of nutrients and fiber. It's also a very expensive way to fill your belly. Buy a Vitamix or something similar where you can just insert the entire vegetable or fruit and drink the finished product. Use fruit to make the vegetable more palatable but think of it as a vegetable smoothie with added fruit rather than the other way around.

I also don't see a need to add protein to your dietary regimen let along to a beverage. There are several industries (the meat and dairy people for example) that have worked hard at convincing us we need more carnivorous-style protein and the growing protein supplement fanboys who insist you need a gram for every pound of lean body mass but they all seem to be solving a problem that doesn't exist.

When people in this country start suffering from a protein shortage maybe I'll change my mind but right now, I'll take my protein from my dark leafy greens and be happy about it. Unless you are heavy into weight lifting, you can pretty much ignore your protein needs - they will almost certainly be met with a balanced diet.

BTW, the most used item in our kitchen is our Vitamix. If you decide to start making smoothies regularly, get a good machine. The Vitamix and Blendtec both review very well but I would avoid all those other brands that are so heavily advertised. We tried a couple of the cheaper brands before settling on the Vitamix and the difference was significant.

Steve

 

[Mulli]

My vitamix is awesome. Broccoli soup is great and great for you.

Ya, protein can be overrated, but good fats are essential. Otherwise a person is just hungry.

 

[AzStevenCal]

My vitamix is awesome. Broccoli soup is great and great for you.

Ya, protein can be overrated, but good fats are essential. Otherwise a person is just hungry.

Agreed. They are essential to both good health and weight loss. We've been lied to by so many "experts" for so long on the issue of nutrition and weight loss but the "eat a balanced diet" is not one of those lies.

Steve

 

[crisper57]

Thanks for the tips on the machines. I figured Vitamix would be the way to go. As for Smoothie King and the like, I've decided that if I am near one and don't have time for a full-on meal, it might suffice as the occasional meal replacement, nothing more, even if they are dedicated to helping people get healthy:

http://www.smoothieking.com/health/

 

[Hollywood]

Probably so. Try it. the smoothie not the gross mcd or panda.

I eat 2 McDoubles almost every day. Down 25 pounds doing it.

 

[Mulli]

I eat 2 McDoubles almost every day. Down 25 pounds doing it.

Good job

 

[crisper57]

I eat 2 McDoubles almost every day. Down 25 pounds doing it.

Yes, but this thread is about smoothies, so unless you toss those in a Vitamix, I don't want to hear about it.

Seriously, I dare you to do that.

 

[BigRedRage]

Yes, but this thread is about smoothies, so unless you toss those in a Vitamix, I don't want to hear about it.

Seriously, I dare you to do that.

+1 if you put it on youtube.

 

[Dback Jon]

Agreed. They are essential to both good health and weight loss. We've been lied to by so many "experts" for so long on the issue of nutrition and weight loss but the "eat a balanced diet" is not one of those lies.

Steve

My primary care doctor (and now the primary care doctor for 3 other ASFN'ers) hates diets. His only advice - eat a balanced diet, don't go excessively in any one area, and be active.

 

[AzStevenCal]

My primary care doctor (and now the primary care doctor for 3 other ASFN'ers) hates diets. His only advice - eat a balanced diet, don't go excessively in any one area, and be active.

Sounds like a good doctor. And the "be active" part of his advice is often overlooked. Being active is even more important than actual exercise, IMO.

Steve

 

[Hollywood]

Yes, but this thread is about smoothies, so unless you toss those in a Vitamix, I don't want to hear about it.

Seriously, I dare you to do that.

Hey, you were the one to bring up McDonalds. I was just going off of what you said.


And no, I'm not going to 'smoothie' a hamburger.

 

[Bada0Bing]

My vitamix is awesome. Broccoli soup is great and great for you.

Ya, protein can be overrated, but good fats are essential. Otherwise a person is just hungry.

I've got a blendtec and I couldn't agree more with you and Steve. One of the best investments I've ever made. I use it every morning to make breakfast smoothies.

Tortilla soup is one of our favorites and it also makes a mean spinach ice cream.

 

[crisper57]

Bought a Nutribullet over the weekend and I've been "extracting" (not juicing, they are very touchy about that term) everything in sight. You basically mix the ingredients in the cannister that you will be drinking from, so nothing is strained out. Their recipe formula is 1/2 leafy greens, 1/2 fruit, and a "booster" on top, which is pretty much nuts or seeds.

I've been doing spinach, raspberry, banana, and chia seed smoothies for breakfast all week. That is pretty solid.

Today I changed it up and did kale, orange, pineapple, and coconut oil. Tastes like a pina colada.

Taking suggestions on other combinations I should try out.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Bought a Nutribullet over the weekend and I've been "extracting" (not juicing, they are very touchy about that term) everything in sight. You basically mix the ingredients in the cannister that you will be drinking from, so nothing is strained out. Their recipe formula is 1/2 leafy greens, 1/2 fruit, and a "booster" on top, which is pretty much nuts or seeds.

I've been doing spinach, raspberry, banana, and chia seed smoothies for breakfast all week. That is pretty solid.

Today I changed it up and did kale, orange, pineapple, and coconut oil. Tastes like a pina colada.

Taking suggestions on other combinations I should try out.

And they should be. Juices and smoothies are different animals. Juicing can be nutritious but it's a very wasteful way to get your nutrients and you're not going to be very full because you're throwing away all the fiber. We had a Nutribullet several years ago and liked it but it struggled with some of the stuff we fed it. I hope this doesn't sound condescending but I consider it a nice entry level vehicle. If you find you like the benefits of having a regular smoothie you might want to move up in class in a year or two. As a suggestion, I'd add a little parsley to the mix (in addition to the spinach or kale, not in place of it).

Steve

Edit: Actually, it turns out I didn't have a Nutribullet. My wife informs me it was a Magicbullet. I don't know how the Nutribullet version compares to the big boys.

 

[crisper57]

And they should be. Juices and smoothies are different animals. Juicing can be nutritious but it's a very wasteful way to get your nutrients and you're not going to be very full because you're throwing away all the fiber. We had a Nutribullet several years ago and liked it but it struggled with some of the stuff we fed it. I hope this doesn't sound condescending but I consider it a nice entry level vehicle. If you find you like the benefits of having a regular smoothie you might want to move up in class in a year or two. As a suggestion, I'd add a little parsley to the mix (in addition to the spinach or kale, not in place of it).

Steve

Not at all. I kinda considered it the entry-level option, but I really do like the easy cleanup and small footprint on my counter. My wife and I have vastly different tastes in fruits and vegetables, so I also like that we can each make a single serving relatively quickly.

I struggled between choosing the Magic Bullet or the Nutribullet. Magic Bullet was half the price, but came with more cups. I assume the powerful motor on the Nutribullet is the reason for it being more expensive. It hasn't had any struggles yet, but I could see that being an issue.

I'll have to give parsley at try!

 

[AzStevenCal]

Not at all. I kinda considered it the entry-level option, but I really do like the easy cleanup and small footprint on my counter. My wife and I have vastly different tastes in fruits and vegetables, so I also like that we can each make a single serving relatively quickly.

I struggled between choosing the Magic Bullet or the Nutribullet. Magic Bullet was half the price, but came with more cups. I assume the powerful motor on the Nutribullet is the reason for it being more expensive. It hasn't had any struggles yet, but I could see that being an issue.

I'll have to give parsley at try!

Yeah we've really sold Parsley short in this country by using it as decoration. It's highly nutritious and makes a nice addition to a smoothie. I prefer the less bitter flat leaf parsley (sometimes called Italian Parsley) but any will do. As for your green smoothies, find a fruit mix that you like and then slowly increase the Spinach, Kale, Romaine, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Bok Choy or whatever you're using. Try to mix it up every couple of weeks because they each bring different nutrition values to your diet. I never have salads any more (at home, anyway), I get more than enough greens in my breakfast smoothie.

I don't know if it's true but I keep reading that plants have a toxicity that will start to impact you if you eat any given plant too often. Supposedly it's a defense mechanism for each plant forcing animals to not eat any one variety into extinction. I've also read that this idea is BS but regardless, the various greens all have slightly different nutrition profiles so regularly rotating them just makes sense.

Steve

 

[schutd]

I make an apple pie smoothie in my vitamix. 1/2c greek yogurt, one banana, one apple, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of salt, 5 or 6 whole almonds, honey to sweeten to your liking. Delicious and filling.

 

[crisper57]

Okay, so Italian Parsley is awesome! Totally masked the taste of kale in my Cherry/Kale/Banana/Chia/Parsley Smoothie.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Okay, so Italian Parsley is awesome! Totally masked the taste of kale in my Cherry/Kale/Banana/Chia/Parsley Smoothie.

You must be registered for see images

 

[crisper57]

You must be registered for see images

Mmmmmm. Porcelain super food!