I swear whenever I am out and about and am running errands and start to get a little hangry, I notice about 5 Jamba Juice’s around me. I absolutely love schmancy smoothies like this, but I know by now that you have to be quite choosy with what you order, or you could end up having a smoothie that has more calories and sugar than a milkshake!

It seems a little crazy, right? If you are trying hard to make good food choices and see a Coldstone Creamery next door to a Jamba Juice, your brain automatically thinks, “Duh! Fruit vs. ice cream! Go with Jamba. Everything is going to be healthy in there, right??” Wrong. Here are 4 strategies to help you with your order so it is a step in the right goal with your health and fitness goals, rather than 2 steps back:

Size Matters. The cups in most smoothie shops run rather large so try and get the smallest cup they have, somewhere in the 8-16 ounce range. Don’t feel silly if you order a child size cup to do so :) You will find that it is big enough to curb your cravings for something sweet and should help you feel full enough for a meal with the right ingredients inside your smoothie.


Focus on the Protein. A lot of smoothie places will have options to add in protein powder(whey or soy) or other things like Greek yogurt, kefir, nut butter or seeds. Many of these protein-boosts also contain healthy fats, fiber and a great boost of calcium. The protein will help build your muscles, especially if it is a post-workout smoothie, and will help you feel fuller a lot longer.


Choose Real Fruits and Veggies. Choose a smoothie that contains fresh fruits and veggies instead of getting in from sugary sources--for example, an orange smoothie that has a real orange versus the orange flavor coming from orange sherbet or orange juice. Skip the ones that are front-loaded with juice or concentrates as they have tons of added sugar without the beneficial fiber. 


Watch Out for the Added Sugar. Honey, agave, maple and straight-up sugar can push those sugars in your smoothie way off the charts unnecessarily. Always remember that you can opt out of the added sweeteners and get a smoothie that tastes naturally sweet from the fresh fruits. Smoothies without added sugars and plenty of fruit or nut butters in them are plenty sweet on their own! Watch out for those sugary ingredients they add in there like sherbet, sorbet, juice, frozen yogurt and lemonade.

Here are three great options for you to order at probably the most popular smoothie place out there, Jamba Juice:

*All of these options are based from a 12 oz. serving (size small)

Orange Carrot Karma Smoothie with a Whey Protein Boost

A delicious mixture of bananas, mangos all whirred together with carotenoid-rich carrot juice. Add in whey protein powder and with all that orange produce you will get 430% of the daily recommended value for vitamin A.     230 cal / 3g fiber / 15g protein

Pistachio Power Smoothie

This is a delicious nutty blend of almond milk, pistachios, soy protein and kale that brings tons of antioxidants and keeps you full enough to be a meal. Mango is the secret ingredient that keeps it sweet.     440 cal / 6g fiber / 18g protein

Protein Berry Workout Smoothie

The classic combo of strawberry and banana join forces with soy milk and your choice of soy or whey protein powder.         290 cal / 3g fiber / 16-17g protein