With the rise in temperature outside, people often like to drink cold or frozen beverages, such as smoothies, shakes, and iced or frozen coffee drinks. But these fluids could be to blame for your weight gain.
When we see the word smoothie, we often associate it with healthy. Is not always that way. Many have hidden calories, fat, and excess sugar. Even in stores that promote “healthy” shakes, there are many drinks that are not as healthy and have too many calories. Here are some shocking examples:
Jamb Juice, Coarse Strawberry (16 oz) – 570 calories
Jamba Juice, Peach Mango Garnish (16 oz) – 500 calories
Smoothie King, Cranberry Supreme (20 oz) – 560 calories
Smoothie King, The Hulk Strawberry Shake (20 oz) – 1065 calories – Yikes!
But let me back up a bit with a few facts.
It is well documented that increased consumption of beverages (that is, anything other than water) has been a factor in the obesity crisis in the United States. Today’s average American gets more than 20% of their daily calories from beverages. That’s a lot!
For many of us (especially women), during the warmer months we drink too many “summer drinks” – smoothies, shakes, or iced coffee drinks. These can easily put on the pounds:
Starbucks Honey Frappuccino (16 oz) – 390 calories
Dunkin Donuts Coffee Coolata (16 oz) – 350 calories
TCBY Mango Tango (24 oz) – 728 calories
Baskin-Robbins Vanilla Shake, Medium (24 oz) – 980 calories
McDonald’s Triple Chocolate Shake (32 oz) – 1160 calories – WOW!
Now let me tell you that smoothies are usually a great way to add fruit to your diet and can be a nice addition to your meal plan. However, it is always better do them yourself at home. Why?
Let’s not forget that today’s drinks (including smoothies) are oversized. The official serving size of the Food and Drug Administration is 8 ounces. It’s hard to find an 8-ounce shake, shake, or iced coffee drink. I bet a lot of you don’t even know what 8 ounces looks like because we don’t see it anymore!
But it’s not just the large size.
It is that people FORGET that they are drinking calories. I see it all the time, people drinking their beverages without realizing that these things even contribute to their daily caloric intake. It’s like they’re thinking “if I drink it, it’s zero calories.” That is not true!
But smoothies usually have fruit. Isn’t that good?
Okay, I know some of the smoothies contain real fruit, but there are other ingredients that, together, can add up to A LOT of calories.
Also, the fact that you are “drinking” the fruit does not register the same in your mind. Imagine that you are eating a fruit. First, you are eating so you are (hopefully) more aware of food and calories. Second, when you eat a whole fruit, you get all the fiber and nutrients that may be lacking in the liquid form.
My clients often consume these shakes and cannot understand why they are not losing weight. Once they work with me, they don’t crave these summer drinks like they used to and consume them less often. Once they do, it’s amazing how those tough pounds finally start to shed. And it didn’t take a lot of work!
So what is the end result?
While smoothies taste great, they can be nutritious and are sometimes a good way to get some fruit into your body, it’s best to make them yourself at home. If you buy them from a smoothie store, coffee shop, or elsewhere, don’t overdo it. And try to get most of your daily fruit intake by eating whole fruits.
Your waist (and your wallet!) Will thank you.
© Dinneen Diette, 2008