It's true, McDonald's is actually coming out with smoothies, not packed full of vitamins and nutrients that you would expect from a good, healthy smoothie - one made with ripe fruits and vegetables - but packed full of sugar. With too many people eating McDonald's and other nutrient-lacking fast foods on a regular basis, you can understand why we not only recommend Juice Plus+ as a nutritional supplement for added nutrients, but also are consistently trying to get others to eat more whole food fruits and vegetables. Here's more on these smoothies that are lacking in vitamins and nutrients --
Is that right? McDonald's real fruit smoothies
As this blog has noted time and again, the world is chock full of beverages whose manufacturers claim they provide several servings of fruit or are packed with powerful antioxidants, both offered as signs that the drink at hand is really good for you. Usually we end up poking holes in those claims.But this week we're taking a slightly different tack, looking at a product for which no outlandish claims are being made -- even though they plausibly could be. This is a surprising happenstance, as the beverage is the Real Fruit Smoothie, and the maker is McDonald's.
You'd think that given the pounding McDonald's regularly (and often deservedly) receives for its fat- and sodium-heavy menu, it would take any opportunity to tout as healthful a new item that can actually claim to be made from good-for-you ingredients. It may not be perfect -- more on that in a moment -- but I think these smoothies are a decent addition to the McDonald's menu.
McCafe Smoothies come in two varieties -- strawberry banana and wild berry -- and three sizes, small (12 fluid ounces), medium (16 ounces) and large (22 ounces). Small smoothies have 210 calories, half a gram of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 44 grams of sugar. A large strawberry banana smoothie has 330 calories (the wild berry version has 320), 1 gram of fat, 4 grams of fiber, and 70 grams of sugar. (To see for yourself, click here and then go to the McCafe section to find a PDF file of nutrition data.)
The smoothies provide a nice dose of the antioxidant Vitamin C -- ranging from 70 percent of the Daily Value for that nutrient to 120 percent, plus a little bit of calcium and iron. read on...
Comments: There isn't going to be reason to eat at McDonald's anytime soon, including these smoothies. As this article points out, there aren't any claims being made about these drinks being healthy or packed with fruit nutrition and vitamins...yet. McDonalds may have learned a lesson from the Coca-Cola suit brought on them from claims made about Vitaminwater. The bottom line: avoid fast foods because they're almost always high in fat and salt and nutrient-deficient, and avoid soft drinks and the sugary smoothies that aren't made with fruits and/or vegetables. Otherwise, smoothies can be healthy if you use fruits and lean protein sources and water or skim soy or skim milk. Add Juice Plus+ if you're not getting enough fruits (or vegetables) in your diet.
The Health & Wellness Institute, PC
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