Truth is, most fast-food smoothies are seriously bad for you. Don’t get us wrong, they taste delicious, but they’re high in calories and often loaded with added sweeteners and super-sweet juice concentrates instead of actual fruit. Some even top 100 grams of sugar per serving—that’s like an entire pint of ice cream! (Why not make your own healthy smoothie recipe with one of these options?) But don’t despair: For every sugar bomb, we found a healthier swap with no or minimal added sweeteners. (Get your sugar cravings under control and lose weight while still enjoying the sweets you love with Sugar Smart Express.) Here, what to pick and what to pass on at eight popular chains: Orange Julius Worst: Tripleberry Smoothie Berries are lower in sugar than most fruits, so it’s a little confusing that Orange Julius’ Tripleberry is so sweet. The 16-oz medium has 390 calories and 86 grams of sugar—more sweet stuff than you’d get from four Snickers bars. Best: Light Strawberry Banana Smoothie This classic flavor has 200 calories and 42 grams of sugar in the same 16-oz cup—by far the best Julius offering. Panera Bread Worst: Low-Fat Wild Berry Smoothie Don’t put much stock in “healthy” claims like “low-fat.” This smoothie is the worst of Panera’s bunch, with 68 grams of sugar and 340 calories in a 16-oz medium cup. Part of the problem? It’s made with sweetened vanilla yogurt. Best: Superfruit Power Smoothie with Ginseng You’re way better off with this blend: It maxes out at 210 calories and 34 grams of sugar, thanks to plain Greek yogurt and a bit of the natural no-calorie sweetener stevia. Plus, it has more than double the protein of the Wild Berry flavor, so you stay fuller longer. MORE: 25 Best Diet Tips Of All Time Tropical Smoothie CaféWorst: Kiwi Quencher Smoothie This chain only serves one size (24 oz), so forget about portion control. If you choose this seemingly healthy flavor, you’ll ingest 254 calories and 100 grams of sugar—roughly the sweetness equivalent of an entire pint of ice cream.Best: Detox Island Green Smoothie This smoothie (made with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, banana, and fresh ginger) clocks in at a far more reasonable 182 calories and 32 grams of sugar. That’s a sugar savings of 68%! Smoothie KingWorst: Orange Ka-BAM BAM, indeed: Even in the smallest size (20 oz), this smoothie has 469 calories and 108 grams of sugar. That’s as much sweetness as you’ll get from almost three cans of Coca Cola. In fact, the chain actually adds pure sugar into this smoothie: “Turbinado,” one of sugar’s sneaky names, appears right on the ingredients list. Best: Original High Protein Banana A 20-oz cup of this smoothie has just 23 grams of sugar and 314 calories. We also like the simple ingredients list: banana, whey protein powder, and almonds. Jamba Juice Worst: Greens ’n Ginger Smoothie Don’t be fooled by word “greens:” The first ingredient in this smoothie is lemonade. That’s probably why a 16-oz cup has a whopping 66 grams of sugar and 330 calories.Best: Orange Carrot Karma Smoothie This blend still has a high sugar count at 48 grams, but it’s much lower in calories (just 180) and it’s made without added sweeteners. The only ingredients: carrot juice, mangos, banana, and ice. MORE:Top 10 Cholesterol-Fighting Foods StarbucksWorst: Evolution Fresh Mango Carrot Smoothie Here’s another example of the veggies-aren’t-always-better principle: Each 16-oz cup of this smoothie has 42 grams of sugar and 230 calories.Best: Chocolate Smoothie This flavor is still high in sugar (34 grams per 16 oz), but it does have one advantage over the others: It’s rich in protein and fiber, both of which slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream, helping prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes. The extra boost comes from a whey protein/fiber powder, but that’s about as much information as we can get, since Starbucks doesn’t share detailed ingredients lists on its website. Planet Smoothie Worst: Captain Kid This “smoothie” is better classified as a dessert: The two ingredients are strawberries and orange sherbet. It’s no surprise that a 22-oz cup packs 350 calories and 75 grams of sugar—that’s more sugar than seven Krispy Kreme original donuts. Best: PlanetPro Lite Banana & PB With a total of 27 grams of sugar, this is one of the least sweet smoothies we’ve found. It does have a high calorie count of 540, but Planet Smoothie wisely markets this variety as a meal replacement. Order it for that purpose and you’ll be in the clear. MORE: 7 Things You Poop Says About You McDonald’s Worst: McCafé Mango Pineapple Smoothie McDonald’s has yet to create a healthy smoothie. All three of the chain’s smoothie flavors are basically identical in their nutrition stats, but Mango Pineapple edges out the rest with 56 grams of sugar and 260 calories in a 16-oz medium cup. Best: McCafé iced coffee with light cream and French vanilla syrup We can’t in good conscience recommend a smoothie here. Your best liquid bet if you need a subtly sweet hit on the go is an iced coffee. It packs 19 grams of sugar and 120 calories for the same 16-oz portion, or you can forgo the liquid sweetener and stir in one sugar packet for just 4 grams of added sugar. The article “The 8 Worst Fast-Food Smoothies—And What To Order Instead” originally ran on Prevention.com.
