Healthy Recipe Doctor

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McDonald’s must have had some success with their fancy iced and hot coffee drinks because they are now expanding into the smoothie business. They have two new smoothie flavors (Wild Berry and Strawberry Banana) and the 12-ounce smoothie can be yours for a mere price of $2.29.

So how do they compare to the higher-priced Jamba Juice smoothies? If you compare the nutrition information for a 16-ounce Jamba Juice Strawberries Wild (the smallest size they offer) with the 16-ounce McDonald’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie, they are very similar. The McDonald’s smoothie contains a third more vitamin C but about a third less calcium.

Jamba Juice Strawberries Wild Smoothie
Nutritional Analysis per 16-ounce cup: 250 calories, 3 g protein, 60 g carbohydrate (52 g sugars), 3 g protein, 2 g fiber, 2% Daily Value Vitamin A, 15% calcium, 8% vitamin D, 60% vitamin C.

McDonald’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Nutritional Analysis per 16-ounce cup: 260 calories, 2 g protein, 60 g carbohydrate (54 g sugars), 2 g protein, 3 g fiber, 2% Daily Value Vitamin A, 8% calcium, Vitamin D not available, 90% vitamin C.

So what’s the verdict?
Besides the better price, I like that you can order a smaller size smoothie at McDonald’s so you have the option of keeping the calories to about 200 and the carbohydrates below 50 grams. The 12-ounce Strawberry Banana Smoothie contains 210 calories and 49 grams of carbohydrate. So for size and value, I pick the McDonald’s smoothie.

But I like that at Jamba Juice you can see the actual banana and strawberries being blended into the smoothie whereas McDonald’s uses a strawberry banana fruit blend (with the first four ingredients being strawberry puree, banana puree, sugar and concentrated apple juice) and low-fat yogurt that contains sugar and fructose. And you always have the option to choose a nutritional boost at Jamba Juice such as fiber, protein, or ground flaxseed.

Of course, for the healthiest option, I recommend DIY smoothies, where you can control the size and the ingredients. Try my recipes for a fruit, vanilla chai or peanut butter cup smoothie. Enjoy!

Got an amazing smoothie recipe? Share it with the Food & Cooking Community.