They are often right at the entrance by the fruit: brightly colored bottles with smoothies , the trendy drink made from fruit and fruit juice. A little further along, among the dairy products, customers will find tall to-go cups with lassi , the exotic drink . Next to it, next to the quark dishes, there are yoghurts that are not eaten but drunk. They all look delicious and taste best chilled. But despite promising ingredients, they are not automatically healthy.
A finely tuned fruit puree: Smoothies are usually made from whole fruits without skin and seeds. The fruit is pureed and mixed with fruit juice. Basis of all smoothies: banana and apple. They taste sweet and provide pectins that make the drink “smooth”. Depending on the variety, berries, grapes, mangoes, kiwis, pineapple or coconut milk are added. And although the fruits have a lot of taste of their own, some smoothies are also flavored.
The manufacturer decides what a smoothie contains. A binding regulation does not yet exist. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) recommends products with a high proportion of whole fruit. This means that at least half of the fruit should consist of fruit puree, fruit pulp or pieces , because these are the ones that bring dietary fiber and secondary plant substances with them.
The list of ingredients on the label tells you what whole fruit and juice the smoothie contains. According to the DGE, smoothies composed in this way can now and then replace one or two of the daily recommended five portions of fruit. But please no more. Because fruit drinks are definitely less filling than fresh fruit because it has to be chewed for a long time and thus keeps the stomach busy for much longer. AAnother downside : smoothies contain a lot of sugar. Although they are not extra sweetened, the fructose in fruit can also make you fat in large quantities. The equivalent of 13 sugar cubes in a smoothie (330 ml).
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Fruit with a dash of yogurt or milk
Lassi and yoghurt drinks are also trendy. The basis of the lassis, the recipe of which originally comes from India, is creamy whole milk yoghurt . There are also pureed berries, pieces of mango or pineapple, coconut milk, refined chai spices or an extract of rose petals and thickeners so that the lassi flows smoothly out of the cup. Yoghurt drinks, also from the refrigerated section, are usually made from skimmed milk and fruit concentrates or fruit purees. A thickening agent also helps them to a drinkable consistency. There are usually additives added to cherries, strawberries or raspberriessuch as stabilizers, acidity regulators and sweeteners. If you don’t want to eat all of this: organic suppliers do without most of these additives.
The Sugar Trap
Lassi and yoghurt drinks contain a lot of sugar or a corresponding amount of sweetener. Lassi are sweetened with household or raw cane sugar, drinking yoghurts usually with a mix of glucose, glucose – fructose syrup and sugar. Depending on the size of the cup or bottle, there are quite a few calories: 250 ml lassi can contain 10 pieces of sugar , 500 ml yoghurt drink even up to 23 pieces . With around 80 calories per 100 grams, the calorie content of lassis and drinks is roughly the same as that of fruit yoghurt, but we usually drink significantly more of it.
The conclusion:Drinking smoothies, lassis and yoghurt drinks from time to time is completely okay, a change with healthy added value. Because of their often high sugar content and the relatively high price, however, they cannot replace fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products.
The alternative: homemade smoothies to lose weight
A real alternative to the sugary store-bought smoothies are homemade smoothies that you freshly prepare yourself. If you leave out the sugar, they can actually serve as a slimming agent. Our favorites when it comes to liquid fruit
Strong and fruity:
The “Berry Fruit” smoothie contains exactly nine raspberries and, for the extra vitamin C, four sloes and the juice of 27 black currants. The pulp and juice of 2 apples, 1/3 banana and 22 grapes bring the sweetness. 330 ml cost about 1.45 euros, from Alnatura (organic).
With veggies:
Sweet potato, strawberry, banana, orange and a squeeze of lemon juice come together in this squeeze pouch. The vitamin kick is 100 percent organic. “Vegetables”, 90 ml approx. 1 euro, from Fruchtbar.
Brilliantly fresh : the deep yellow comes from the goji berries, which contain a lot of healthy beta-carotene, and from the mango pulp, which sets the tone in terms of taste. Also included: apple juice, banana and acerola pulp. “Orange”, 250 ml approx. 2.30 euros, from true fruits.
Fruity and sensual with a touch of spiciness:
ginger and honey complement pineapple, mango and apple. All ingredients are organic and mixed by hand in a small Berlin company. “Love greeting”, 245 ml approx. 2.30 euros, from Proviant Fruchtmanufaktur.
Pineapple and banana taste great anyway, and there’s apple in them too. A dash of coconut milk adds the oomph. Good idea: the fruit percentages are shown on the bottle in graduations. “Pineapple, Banana & Coconut”, 250 ml for around 1.70 euros, from Innocent.The whole truth about sugar – you can read it here.
