Smoothie sugar warning
BEWARE of the smoothie, a study recently published in the British Medical Journal warned, as researchers found almost half of the popular “health” drinks contained enormous amounts of sugar, making them among the worst offenders when it comes to adding hidden sugar to a diet.
Study leader Dr Ffion Lloyd-Williams wrote that almost half the products assessed by her team contained at least a child’s entire daily recommended maximum sugar intake of 19g, or almost five teaspoons.
Increasing public awareness of the detrimental effect sugar-sweetened drinks has on kids’ teeth and waistlines has prompted many parents to opt for seemingly healthier fruit juice and smoothie alternatives.
So how did local smoothies weigh up? Kauai Walmer Park manager, Mark Furness, 21, said: “Our smoothies are made with frozen fruits and veggies – it makes it taste better. Customers’ favourites are the Strawberry Stinger and the Peanut Butter Bliss.”
Kauai boasts a range of Banting option smoothies (with a very low sugar content), with the most favoured being Cacao Cream which contains frozen avocado, ice, coconut milk, coconut water, cacao nibs and powder.
The total sugar content per 330ml serving is 3.1g. The Strawberry Stinger by comparison has a total of 53.5g in sugar and 3.2g of fat per 330ml serving. The Peanut Butter Bliss has an even higher sugar content, with a total of 54.8g sugar and 23.1g fat. The smoothie contains ice, peanut butter, cocoa powder, frozen bananas and full cream milk.
Evolution MMA offers patrons a range of smoothies also made of frozen fruit, and is gearing toward a healthier choice. The most popular smoothies now are apple, and caramel fudge.
Evolution MMA personal trainer Bruce Burkinshaw, 31, said: “We do not add any sugar to our smoothies – we aim to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. Our caramel fudge is low in calories and low in sugar.”
The apple smoothie contains supermarket brand syrup concentrate [apple], water and ice. The smoothie contains 53.8g sugar and 54g carbs.
At Food Lover’s market, Fresh Shop cashier Sameea Dolley, 24, said: “The most popular are the Berry Bliss, Tropical Surprise and the Peanut Butter smoothies. We also have ‘make your own smoothie’ option where you get to choose between four fruits and yoghurt or ice cream.
“The ‘health kick’ smoothies are also quite popular, especially the Goji Berry and Whey Protein at R7 extra,” Dolley said.
The Berry Bliss consists of frozen strawberries, fresh bananas, berry juice and yoghurt or ice cream. A similar smoothie contains per 500ml serving, 34.2g in sugar and 3.8g in fat.
The British Medical Journal said current dietary guidelines recommended a serving of fruit juice or smoothie should be no more than 150ml.
Furthermore, the labels on all these products contained a reference intake, but this figure applied to an average sized adult woman who did an average amount of physical activity, so it was wholly inappropriate for children, the researchers emphasised.
Fruit should preferably be eaten whole, not as juice. Parents should dilute fruit juice with water or opt for unsweetened juices, and only allow these during meals. Portion sizes should be limited to 150ml per day.
