It is summertime and a cold treat sounds good – how about a milkshake or smoothie? It seems like smoothie shops are opening all over the place these days. They taste great and offer some good nutrition and it’s easy to eat on the go. It’s practically a dieter’s dream, right? Not quite.
The concept seems harmless enough – fruit, ice and milk, juice or yogurt whirred together in a blender to create a thick, creamy drink. But order up a smoothie at your favorite juice bar and you might be getting an amount of calories (and sometimes fat) that can be rough on your waistline.
The nutrition facts at some popular places make it clear that sipping smoothies isn’t always smooth sailing for your weight-loss efforts: one brand’s 24-oz banana berry or mango smoothies, for example, have more than 450 calories and almost 2 grams of fat. The peanut butter flavor has 850 calories and 21 grams of fat. Other brands of chocolate smoothies have nearly 850 calories and 29 grams of fat.
You can make your next smoothie healthy and low in calories. You can still get all the benefits of smoothies, like calcium and protein from low-fat dairy and fiber and vitamin C from fruits, while you take in less fat and calories by following a few basic guidelines:
1. Ask for nutrition information. Most of these places like to cater to the healthy-minded customers.
2. Watch out for the high calorie smoothie add-ins. Chocolate, peanut butter and coconut milk aren’t low in fat and calories on their own, so whipping them up in the blender won’t make them any better for you.
3. Ask for substitutions. Request nonfat or low-fat yogurt and fat-free dairy products, or opt for juice, sherbets and sorbets to keep the fat content down.
4. Keep it low on sugar. Choose a fruit base that isn’t likely to be prepared in sweetened syrups (like strawberries and pineapple). Bananas, citrus fruits, flash-frozen berries and peaches are generally better picks.
5. Steer clear of the add-in boosters. Some smoothie menus sound more like pharmacies. Forget the herbal supplements, protein powders and extracts. None of these things have super powers.
Sticking to those simple rules can make your trip to the smoothie shop a slimmer experience. You can also blend one of your own at home and get an even bigger discount on fat and calories.
Are milkshakes a healthy choice? They can be as tricky as the smoothie when it comes to calories, fat and sugar content. A fast-food 32-oz shake has a whopping 1160 calories and 27 grams of fat. There are ways to save calories next time you have a milkshake – if you get the reduced fat milk and ice cream then you still get the benefits from the protein, calcium, vitamins A and D and some B vitamins. Whole milk and products made from whole milk, such as ice cream, provide a lot of saturated fat, which is not healthy. A diet high in saturated fat has been linked with heart disease, obesity and certain types of cancers.
You don't need to give up your shakes completely, but they can be made a bit healthier. You can use skim or 1% milk in place of whole or 2%, and replace full fat ice cream with light ice cream, frozen yogurt or other soy alternative. Remember to add some fruits like bananas, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries to your shake to boost the nutritional content. Lastly, remember to practice good portion control and make a small shake or share it with a friend.
Rebecca
