Are Smoothies Healthy?

Packed with many fruits in one hit, are these seemingly “healthy” beverages doing you good? Well, every coin has two sides…

“Nice-cream” with frozen banana and berries

Pros: MULTI-NUTRIENTS IN ONE HIT

• Post-workout drink: Smoothies could be a handy solution for those who find it hard to eat immediately after an intense workout. Dairy and fruit-based smoothies could be a great recovery snack by replenishing your energy, protein and fluid all in one go!
• Boast daily fruits/vegetable intake: If you struggle to meet the dietary “KPI” for vegetables (5 serves) and fruits (2 serves), smoothies could be a way to go! For example, blend up some greens e.g. spinach/kale together with some frozen fruits.
• More dietary fibre than juice: Smoothies retain the benefits of dietary fibre in fruits, since both the fruit skin and flesh are kept. Dietary fibre has many health benefits such as slowing down the release of sugar into our bloodstream (a good thing!).

🙈 Cons: CALORIES/SUGAR TRAP

• Watch out those calories: A Boast Juice cup (450ml) banana smoothies contain 1465 kJ, which accounts for nearly 1/5 of an adult daily energy need (8400kJ)! This could be a particular concern for those seeking weight loss.
• Too many fruits? : We tend to overconsume extra portions of fruits when they are blended. A good trick to avoid this is to use the similar amount of fruits you’d normally “chew” in one sitting for the smoothies. Remember, too much of “healthy” is no better than “unhealthy”.

The recommended daily intake of fruits is 2 serves (~ 2 cups diced fruits).

• One Less Pump Please: Unsurprisingly, takeaway smoothies could be high in added sugar. Therefore, do have a scan on the ingredients. If possible, ask for half or one less pump of syrup and choose a smaller size of cup.

So Yes or Nay?

For most healthy individuals, occasional consumption of smoothies are enjoyable and could be a way to boasting our daily intake of fruits and vegetable.

However, if weight control is your health goal, beware that smoothies could be high in added sugar and calories, hence it is important to control the portion size and balance the ingredients.

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