Sweet Nutritional Question About a Smoothie

[Tony]

I too have a smoothie question.

I enjoy the bottled fruit smoothies commonly sold at large convenience
stores now, in particular, a "Bolthouse Farms" product. I like to
think they're very healthy to drink. The ingredients are only natural
(apple juice from concentrate, strawberry pure and banana puree) but
there are 51g of sugar in a 450ml! Is juice with that much sugar
really all-natural? Is it good for me, or not?

Cans of pop are reported to have 40g of sugar - I associate that with
being very unhealthy (imagining all the teaspoons of white sugar
poured into the can). I also associate that level of sugar
consumption with gaining weight. As well, after a short spike, sugar
can leave you with low energy. So 51g of sugar in something that's
supposed to he healthy???

Is 51g of sugar from natural fruit juices different from 51g of sugar
in pop?

Thank you,
Tony

[TLN Phil]

Tony,

Excellent observation...and I love these types of bottled smoothies
too.

Ingredients-wise, natural fruit smoothies are definitely a better
choice than soda or other processed-infused drink.

But you hit the nail right on the head regarding sugars. Be it
natural or processed, sugars are handled no differently by our
bodies. Depending on the type of sugar, they are broken down at
different rates (what's called the Glycemic Index), but this is a moot
point when your bloodstream is being bombarded by a bolus
(concentration) of any type of sugar--especially in liquid form.

I like the fact that you stated the entire contents of the bottle and
not just the serving size. Consumers are typically misled that that
smoothie drinks or isotonic beverages (i.e. Vitamin Water) contain
less than advertised. This is due to a sly move by the distributor in
making the bottle a "multi-serving" containers. C'mon, who just
drinks a half-bottle and puts it away for later!

So in your case, the smoothie you drink is the equivalent of 10
teaspoons of sugar!

If you are at least moderately active, don't rely on these drinks as a
meal replacement, have them with a meal, or drink one right before
bed, I wouldn't be overly concerned.

To add more substance to these drinks and balance out their
nutritional profile, I regularly pour their contents into a shaker
bottle, add a scoop of unflavored, unsweetened whey protein powder and
tablespoon of flax oil. Doing this rounds out the balance of carbs,
protein and fat, satisfies your hunger and energy levels longer, and
can serve as a favorable meal replacement.

Regards,

TLN Phil