Question: are smoothies bad for you?

Ali Hill answered on 18 Jun 2018:

Hi ScarlettY,

Again, thanks for putting this here. So much easier to answer it when I can explain it better!

Smoothies aren’t bad in small amounts. But we’re talking really small amounts – no more than 150ml a day, which is about just over half a cup. This is because they’re quite high in sugar. Admittedly it’s fruit sugar which is a healthier type, but the problem is the amount of fruit the smoothie has. I read the back of a bottle once and it said something like 74 blueberries, 1 2/3 bananas, 5 blackberries and 3 and 1/3 apples. You’d never eat that in one go! But it’s so easy to drink it. That’s where the high sugar comes in.

The other thing is that because you’re blending the fruit to make a smoothie you get rid of all the fibre. Fibre is really important to keep your gut healthy (i.e. to help you poo!). But it’s a long molecule, sort of like a shoe lace. If you cut a shoe lace up into little bits you can’t use it to tie your shoes any more. Same with fibre. If you cut it up in a blender you can’t use it to keep your gut healthy.