smoothies

[Ice Cream]

This is why I avoid them...

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/07/smoothies-fruit-juices-new-health-risk?CMP=twt_fd

[RioG]

I stopped reading at 6 oranges in a smoothie.  that is ridiculous.  who does that?  I seiously doubt that me blending together a banana,  some berries (like a cup total) and some yogurt is posing a serious health risk.  not even if I get all wild and put an orange in there.  it's hardly the equivalent to hfcs in pepsi.

[CheryG]

I'm kinda with Ice Cream on this one.

One serving of Pepsi has 14g carbs, all of which are sugar, probably HFCS, which depending on the blend of HFCS used is about 1:1 glucose to fructose.  Roughly speaking.
http://www.pepsicobeveragefacts.com/infobyproduct.php?prod_type=1026&prod_size=20&brand_fam_id=1051&brand_id=1000&product=Pepsi

Soooo.
One banana: 27g carbs 14g sugar
1C blueberries 20g carbs 14g sugar
1/2 C Cabot greek yogurt:  17g carbs 14g sugar

Total: 64g carbs, 42g sugar.  Fruit varies in the glucose/fructose ratio, but typically it's also 1:1

One smoothie = the same fructose in 3 servings of Pepsi.

I avoid them too.  Well, I pretty much never drink them.  I'll only have one after a long run or hike.

[RioG]

I just don't buy it.  I'm not saying people should be drinking smoothies in between meals as a "healthy" snack, but I just can't believe that a glass full of fruit is bad.  especially when it's no more fruit than you would normally eat in a day.

If I said my breakfast consisted of yogurt and blueberries, and then I had a banana as a snack mid-morning... that would be healthy.  But blend 'er all up and suddenly it's bad?   

And... there is nothing beneficial to drinking pop.  But I get suspicious when I'm told to stop eating natural foods because they have sugar in them.  It doesn't make any sense to me. 

Anyway, doesn't matter.  I'm going to keep loving them.  Lately my mornings involve a trip to the garden to pick fresh carrots to put in my smoothie, and I'm still trying to use up all the swiss chard and kale that I will never eat otherwise. 

[north]

Just checked the greek yogurt in our fridge that we use for smoothies. 4g of sugar per 3/4 cup. Have to fact check Cheryg's other numbers later.

[RioG]

Just checked the greek yogurt in our fridge that we use for smoothies. 4g of sugar per 3/4 cup. Have to fact check Cheryg's other numbers later.

yeah I haven't checked mine but I'm fairly sure it's not high in sugar.  there's no extra sugar that's for sure.  unless milk is high in sugar?  could be.

it IS 9% fat though.  I buy the high fat for Clara and am too cheap to buy 2% as well.

[Magic Microbe]

Not everyone thinks carbs are the devil.


I think calling them as bad as soda is pretty oversimplified. For one thing a smoothie made with whole fruit has nutrients which other sugary drinks don't. And there is nothing wrong with a few servings of fruit a day. Plus smoothie is a really general term...one person may make their smoothie with kale, almond milk, and strawberries while another may use fruit juice, ice cream and berries...those are two very different products.

[merigayle]

My smoothies are also in place of a small meal as well, or right after a long run where i have not eaten anything. If i was drinking them like i drink water or other people drink sodas, then yeah, that could be an issue, but it is not. And like MM said, i make mine with better ingredients. No yogurt, no fruit juice, no ice cream, etc. DH makes his with raw cashews to make them creamy.

[onawhim]

I rarely put fruit in mine.  If I do it is just a half cup of berries.  Mine are usually 4 cups of greens, kefir, water and raw ginger.     You can make anything unhealthy that does not mean they automatically are. 

[CheryG]

I don't think carbs are the devil, and that's not why I like the article.

Oh, first of all:
http://www.cabotcheese.coop/pages/our_products/product.php?catID=39&id=472
and secondly, I just put the other foods in the google search bar as "carbs in a banana", etc.

My deal is that I think it's in error to label foods as being "healthy".  Mind your macros and micros instead.  Eat the fuel you need, in the form you need.  Learn which foods are triggers to overeating.

From the article:

"To date, to the best of our knowledge every added amount of fructose – be it from fruit juice, sugar-sweetened beverages or any other beverage or even from foods with high sugar content – adds equally to our health concerns linked with this food component."

What more do you need to know?  Mind your fructose consumption.

[nadra24]

I'm kinda with Ice Cream on this one.

One serving of Pepsi has 14g carbs, all of which are sugar, probably HFCS, which depending on the blend of HFCS used is about 1:1 glucose to fructose.  Roughly speaking.
http://www.pepsicobeveragefacts.com/infobyproduct.php?prod_type=1026&prod_size=20&brand_fam_id=1051&brand_id=1000&product=Pepsi

Soooo.
One banana: 27g carbs 14g sugar
1C blueberries 20g carbs 14g sugar
1/2 C Cabot greek yogurt:  17g carbs 14g sugar

Total: 64g carbs, 42g sugar.  Fruit varies in the glucose/fructose ratio, but typically it's also 1:1

One smoothie = the same fructose in 3 servings of Pepsi.

I avoid them too.  Well, I pretty much never drink them.  I'll only have one after a long run or hike.

One serving of Pepsi is 8 oz.  That smoothie recipe makes at least two cups and probably closer to three cups of smoothie, if there is any water or ice added to thin it down.  If you're going to compare the two, you need to at least compare the same amount of each.  Plus the sugar in yogurt is lactose, which is galactose+glucose.  No fructose.  Plus it has protein, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals that aren't present in the Pepsi, as MM pointed out above.

I'm not saying that it's not possible to overdo it on the calories and sugar in a smoothie without realizing it, but to say that drinking a bottle of Pepsi is the same as drinking a smoothie is just not true.

[Honey Badger]

I make smoothies with raw veggies (spinach and summer/zucchini squash usually) and frozen berries, and maybe a small piece of frozen banana (~ 1" piece).  Sometimes I'll add a bit of plain yogurt or some almond milk.
I consider them to be pretty healthy.

[CheryG]

One serving of Pepsi is 8 oz.  That smoothie recipe makes at least two cups and probably closer to three cups of smoothie, if there is any water or ice added to thin it down.  If you're going to compare the two, you need to at least compare the same amount of each.  Plus the sugar in yogurt is lactose, which is galactose+glucose.  No fructose.  Plus it has protein, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals that aren't present in the Pepsi, as MM pointed out above.

I'm not saying that it's not possible to overdo it on the calories and sugar in a smoothie without realizing it, but to say that drinking a bottle of Pepsi is the same as drinking a smoothie is just not true.

nadra, my bad on the milk sugars,  I was doing a rush job.

Yeah, so what if it also has x,y,z.  The purpose of the article, etc., was to draw attention to people who might be unknowingly exceeding their fructose.  That a smoothie has the advantage of having vitamins and mins is great, yay for that no doubt, but that wasn't the point.

Again from the article:

"The entire literature shows that we feel full from drinking beverages like smoothies but it does not affect our overall food intake, whereas eating an orange does."

[RioG]

now if I start loading mine up with kraft peanut butter and canned oj I'll start worrying. 

today after my long run it was banana,  strawberries,  yogurt, swiss chard and carrots.  ice and water.  potassium,  protein, fibre... plus all those other nutrients that make my eyes glaze over. 

[RioG]

I don't understand that bit about an orange affecting our intake... is it trying to say an orange will fill you up as much as a smoothie?   

[CheryG]

I don't understand that bit about an orange affecting our intake... is it trying to say an orange will fill you up as much as a smoothie?   

It's saying that eating an orange will fill you up more and you'll eat less because of it.

[RioG]

yeah that's what I thought... but experience tells me different. 

[CheryG]

yeah that's what I thought... but experience tells me different. 

To start, there have been some interesting studies done on simply chewing and satiety.  Their sources aren't listed in the article, but I'd guess that's where they're getting some of their conclusions.

[Natasha]

It's misleading. The two drinks should be compared ounce to ounce, and the smoothie would come out way far ahead.

Plus, what happened to all the benefits of flavenoids, and blueberries being a super food?

[witchypoo]

now if I start loading mine up with kraft peanut butter and canned oj I'll start worrying. 

today after my long run it was banana,  strawberries,  yogurt, swiss chard and carrots.  ice and water.  potassium,  protein, fibre... plus all those other nutrients that make my eyes glaze over. 

i ran 8 super technical trail miles this afternoon, and had a smoothie for supper - it contained spinach, apple juice, ginger, blueberries, strawberries, and banana, along with a blob of yogurt.

the minute i finished it, i went into the bathroom to brush my teeth.  imagine my surprise when i saw my reflection in the mirror...!