Is Smoothie King Really Healthy?

Smoothie King is a franchised business offering snack bars, smoothies, and health supplements. It started working in 1973 as a "smoothie bar", a concept created by Steve Kuhnau. While the smoothies are their main draw, they are now more of a health supplement retailer in small scale. Some of the most popular categories of smoothies it offers include Trim Down, Stay Healthy, Shape Up, and Get Energy.

Interestingly, they let you select from a range of add-ons, including protein powder and wheat germ. And, it is equally convenient to order your favorite protein snack with a bottle of your preferred herbal supplement. They now manage more than 650 franchises on three continents. They say their mission is to make the world a healthier place, but the question is, "are they really living up to the expectation?"

In order to answer this question, it is important to first consider your personal fitness goals. What's included in the smoothie makes it healthy or unhealthy, but a good thing with Smoothie King is that it offers custom-made smoothies, so you will be calling the shots. You can make your smoothie healthy by cutting back on sugar and asking for some healthier ingredients to be added in your order.

Similarly, you can make a smoothie healthy by making sure it is low in fat. Smoothie King has a number of smoothies included in their list that are low fat. In fact, you can find some options containing no more than 3g of fat. You can order these smoothies and consider them healthy because they help you achieve your fat loss goals.

You also need to bear in mind that not all smoothies on their list are perfect. Some of their products are very high in calories. For instance, you are going to get 493 calories form Activator Strawberry, whereas Hulk Strawberry offers 964 calories. Hulk Chocolate is another popular choice with 801 calories, and Peanut Power Plug Strawberry with 684 calories. If you are counting calories to lose weight, it is obvious that these particular smoothies are not for you.

Is Smoothie King healthy? The answer really depends on what you order. If you order a Whopper from Burger King, you are only getting 660 calories, which are much less than Smoothie King's Hulk Strawberry smoothie (964). The same is true for sugar content. A can of average soft drink contains about 33g of sugar, but it is still less than Smoothie King's Dark Chocolate Spice smoothie (43g) and Lean1 Tropical (40g). The Angel Food smoothie has 75g of sugar, whereas the Slim-N-Trim smoothie has 72g of sugar. The sugar content goes up considerably when you select something out of their "Slim" category. It can go as high as 125g – it is when you order the Hulk Strawberry smoothie.

It is hard to tag Smoothie King as healthy or unhealthy because some of their products are quite healthy while others are really high in sugar and fat. Still, it would not be wrong to suggest that Smoothie King is a better choice as compared to many frozen dessert franchise, such as Yogurt Mountain, Braum's, and Dairy Queen. That does not mean you can always rely on Smoothie King for the healthiest smoothies, especially when you are overly concerned about your intake of fat, calories, and sugar.

Instead of asking "Is Smoothie King healthy", you should always make sensible choices and opt for something with no added sugar. Order something with healthier ingredients that helps boost your body's thermogenic properties and keep you from putting on weight. When ordering Smoothie King products, you should go for fitness blends or slim blends because they usually contain fewer calories and are low in fat. These blends are more likely to provide you with some protein and fiber as well.