Editor’s Word: A Smoothie King consultant reached out to Eat This, Not That! with some corrections to this text, which was initially printed Nov. 4, 2021. We have up to date the copy under.
Whether or not you are eating healthy or simply making an attempt so as to add extra fruits and veggies to your food plan, a cool smoothie actually hits the spot. Smoothie King guarantees that its smoothies supply the health-maximizing advantages of pure, actual fruits and juices, greens, and wholesome sources of protein.
When contemplating a smoothie, particularly from a series like Smoothie King, bear in mind that smoothies have the potential to be diet-busting bombs. Sugar ranges in fruit and juice can increase calorie counts to shake ranges, and a scoop of this and a contact of that may add energy, sugar, and sneaky fat that can flip a wholesome drink right into a hefty liquid meal. Here is the best way to be in your guard at Smoothie King. (Plus, discover out the 11 Secrets Dunkin’ Doesn’t Want You to Know.)
In case you’re watching your waistline, do not be fooled by the model’s Take a Break blends. Virtually all of them have a sneaky ingredient listed: turbinado. Do not know it? It’s minimally processed sugar, the identical as you may discover in these Sugar within the Uncooked packets, and a great way to undo all of the wholesome elements of a veggie and fruit drink. Each smoothie that comprises turbinado has a further 100 energy from carbohydrates and 24 grams of added sugar.
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Smoothie King considers solely sugar and sugar derivatives to be added sugar. However fruit juices can add a ton of sugar and no fiber. Working example, the Veggie Lemon Ginger Spinach has no added sugar but it surely comprises, mangos, pineapples, and two completely different juices that deliver the sugar complete to 60 grams for the 20-ounce smoothie and solely 6 grams of fiber.
In an e mail to Eat This, Not That!, a consultant for Smoothie King maintained that “pure sugar, just like the naturally occurring sugar in fruit and fruit juices, is completely different from added sugar in relation to a balanced life-style.” In addition they famous that the chain “makes use of complete fruit, dates, and fruit juices to sweeten a lot of its blends naturally and is deliberately clear about which of its blends do comprise added sugar (like turbinado) and which don’t in order that visitors can select the smoothie that is proper for their very own distinctive tastes and targets–which might be completely different from sooner or later to the following.”
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In keeping with a publish by a Reddit user claiming to be an employee, a number of the fruit that goes into your smoothie is frozen, some fruit is contemporary, however some additionally comes canned or sweetened. “The strawberries are frozen in their very own syrup. We’d get new ones in weekly, and they’re only some days faraway from being picked,” the worker wrote. “The bananas are peeled by hand. They’re left to ripen slightly bit, however not too brown. The extra brown [sic] the extra pure sugar they’ve. The coconut is shredded dry coconut. The peaches and pineapple come from massive industrial cans.”
A Smoothie King consultant disputed this former worker’s claims as “inaccurate” in an e mail to Eat This, Not That!. The chain “doesn’t use coconut or peaches in any of its present blends or inventory these elements in retailer. Moreover, its pineapple just isn’t canned. As a part of Smoothie King’s Clear Blends initiative, we’re clear and provides visitors a alternative of complete strawberries (no added sugar) or complete strawberries with added sugar based mostly on our visitors’ targets and preferences.”
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The menu at Smoothie King is large. Among the smoothies are low-calorie, just like the Keep Slim Blends, others are supposed to be ‘meal replacements’ just like the Gladiator line. The Hulk drinks are notably scary. Billed as ‘bulking smoothies,’ every has a base of butter pecan ice cream. The small strawberry model has 890 energy, 32 grams of fats, and 128 grams of sugar. The big has 1770 energy, 64 grams of fats, and 256 grams of sugar!
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Sizes at Smoothie King are type of out of hand, with a small being a 20-ounce drink, a medium 32 ounces, and a big coming in at a whopping 40 ounces. As you improve, energy and carbs can get out of hand quick. For instance, a small Espresso Excessive Protein Almond Mocha is 400 energy for a small and 810 for a big.
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Whereas a smoothie is a pleasant deal with and a seemingly straightforward approach to get your vegetables and fruit, it will not fill you up. In an April 2018 research printed in Nutrients, researchers discovered that energy-containing liquids are much less satiating than meals in a small pattern measurement of simply 28 contributors. Although contributors reported emotions of enjoyment of smoothies, consuming a complete fruit salad was discovered to be extra filling.
A Smoothie King consultant highlighted that it supplies a variety of blends wealthy in protein to “assist hold visitors full and energy their day” in an e mail to Eat This, Not That!. “Further protein may be added to any smoothie on the menu with the addition of high-quality protein powders, nut butters, and extra.”
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Based within the Seventies, Smoothie King is the results of founder Steve Kuhnau experiments with mixing fruit, proteins, and different elements in a blender at residence. In keeping with Grey Journal, Kuhnau had grown up with excessive meals allergy symptoms to elements similar to dairy and had a tough time creating full meals round his allergy symptoms, and he was jealous he could not drink milkshakes. So, he tried to duplicate a shake with fruit, ice, and juice, as a substitute. Because of consuming the smoothies typically, his blood stress got here underneath management, so he determined to go public to assist others like him. The enterprise was offered in 2012 to Wan Kim, a franchisee from Korea who steered the corporate to more healthy smoothies.
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Relying on what you are in search of in a smoothie, it is good to bear in mind that lots of the choices within the Slim and Trim line have added sweeteners–specifically Stevia. Stevia is a good different to sugar as a result of it would not add energy and has a low glycemic index, however many consultants have speculated that as a result of synthetic sweeteners do not activate the discharge of satiety hormones, they might lead individuals to overeat at their subsequent meal.
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In case you seize a smoothie, just like the Gladiator, to get well from a exercise or as a meal alternative, you may in all probability add protein powder. In keeping with QSR Magazine, The Gladiator comprises Smoothie King’s proprietary protein complement. As well as, Lean1, Nutrition53’s best-selling fat-burning complement may be added as an enhancer to any mix on the menu.
Whereas Smoothie King has choose proprietary choices (which means you will not know the precise mix of elements), a consultant advised Eat This, Not That! in an e mail that the entire smoothies on its menu and their elements “keep true to our Clear Blends Promise, guaranteeing they don’t embody synthetic flavors, colours, or preservatives.”
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In case you’re counting carbs or consuming a Paleo food plan, smoothie menus could be a problem to navigate. Fortunately, Smoothie King has some nice choices for hacking a smoothie, similar to eradicating the Sunwarrior Natural Vegan Protein Mix from the Vegan Darkish Chocolate Banana smoothie and including almonds, Califia Farms Almond Milk, and chilly brew espresso.
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