When browsing the grocery store, there are several things we all know to stay away from if we care about your overall health: salty potato chips, sugary pastries, processed frozen meals… But not all of the products that are bad for us are as easy to distinguish. In fact, there’s one deceivingly unhealthy drink in particular that experts warn you should think twice before adding to your cart: smoothies.
To learn more about this surprisingly sugary drink and the health risks at hand, we spoke to experts Julie Cunningham, MPH, RD, LDN, CDE, IBCLC and Dr. Amy Lee, board certified doctor in internal medicine, medical nutrition, and obesity medicine, and partner of Nucific. They shed some light on the astronomical sugary content and the lack of nutritional benefits. Find all of their insight below!
Processed Smoothies Like Naked Juice
On the surface, any smoothie might seem healthy. After all, they're packed with fruit—and fruit is always good for you, right? But unfortunately, when it comes to many smoothies and juices sold in grocery stores, they're also packed with added sugar, which generally negates what little nutritional value the beverages offer in the first place.
For example, Lee tells us Naked's Green Machine contains 53 grams of sugar. Yikes! "This is as bad as taking a can of Coke," she warns. And this green drink isn't the only one that packs in the sugar. "There are a whopping 44 grams of sugar in a 15 oz Naked Strawberry Banana Smoothie," Cunningham points out.
Cunningham says the content of this smoothie is "equivalent to eating a large banana and around 15 strawberries." Although that may sound like this smoothie is a great source of nutrients and fruit, one of the main issues at hand (in addition to all that sugar) is a lack of dietary fiber. While whole fruit is typically packed with fiber, which, as Cunningham notes, "helps you feel full, slows digestion, and keeps your blood sugar from spiking too quickly," all of that is lost when these smoothies are made.
Lee agrees, noting that for a beverage that's labeled as "green," the Green Machine variety offers "absolutely no dietary fiber," and, in fact, is packed with unhealthy ingredients like apple juice from concentrate.
So, how might drinking these beverages in excess affect your health? "Over time, too many calories from juice (or any food/drink) leads to weight gain, and that can lead to other health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes," Cunningham states. "That's why I recommend keeping juice portions down to around 4 oz per day, or not drinking juice at all."
One healthy alternative that Dr. Lee suggests is to reach for fresh, cold-pressed juices instead. If you're really up for the challenge, you can even make your own at home—your body will thank you!
