Are Smoothies Healthy?

What are smoothies?

Smoothies are drinks that consist of fruit or vegetables that are blended or pureéd, making them drinkable. Unlike juices, which only use the flesh of fruit and vegetables, smoothies contain whole fruit and vegetables making it a good source of fibre.

Are smoothies healthy?

This one is a slightly more complicated answer than you may think. This is because when fruit is blended up, the natural sugars in them then become free sugars. Free sugar is the type of sugar found in your favourite streats, like biscuits, cakes and cookies (basically all the good stuff). As such, free sugars should be eaten in moderation, so while smoothies are made up of fruits that are usually great to eat lots of, in this instance it is important to have balanced portions of the stuff. As well as this, the sugars can also cause tooth decay, so we recommend if you like a smoothie in the mornings that you invest in a good old metal straw to help combat this.

That being said, it is also one of your five-a-day (though no matter how many portions of fruit or veg you may use, it won’t be more than one). It is also a great source of vitamins and minerals, and can be a great way of getting enough fibre and antioxidants. In a balanced diet, smoothies can absolutely be healthy.