Are Smoothies Really Good For You?

I love a good smoothie, but have always tried to stay away from the commercial blends, knowing that anything that tastes that good can't really be very good for you. I hate to say I'm right, but I am. Check out the nutritional content of some of your favorite blends at Jamba Juice for example. The acai supercharger (acai is good for you, right?) is 420 calories. That's pretty high for a snack. Aloha pineapple smoothie is 500 calories. The citrus squeeze, which is not really a smoothie, but just a blend of juices, is 300 calories. And a specialty smoothie is 634 calories. The good news is all of these are low in sodium. The bad news is they are loaded with sugar.

Here's a alternative. Making your own smoothies can be healthier and less than half the calories. I'll give you an idea for making your own from scratch, but the same thing can be done buying store bought non fat yogurt.

Try making homemade soy yogurt. It's delicious, cheap, and you'll never know it's soy. Buy basic non-sweetened soy milk. Pour in a glass jar and stir in 1Tablespoon basic plain yogurt. Screw the cap on the jar, and put in a large kettle of hot water, then cover the whole pot with a towel and let it sit for 5-6 hours. You should have delicious, thick, yogurt. Add stevia for a little sweetness, some of your favorite fruit (I like strawberries, fresh or frozen and 1/2 banana), and a little fruit juice. If you want to really keep the calories down add reduced fat cranberry juice and a few ice cubes. The whole thing will total about 150 calories, with no added sugar and absolutely delicious. This is great as a snack, or add flax seed and have it as a breakfast drink. Enjoy. If you can't eat or don't like soy, just use cow's milk yogurt, unsweetened. It's just as good, but the yogurt is fun to make.