New flavours of fruit smoothies have appeared on the McDonald’s menu, aimed at people who value their health. But are they really that healthy? Let’s check it out!
The new drinks on offer at the popular chain include:
- Tropical Smoothie
- Tropical Protein Booster Smoothie
- Mixed Berry Smoothie
- Mixed Berry Protein Booster Smoothie
We sent a request to McDonald’s to provide the exact composition and nutritional values of each flavour. Here they are:
Tropical Smoothie
Ingredients: ice, tropical smoothie syrup (fruit puree concentrate, refined fruit juice, water, fruit pulp, fruit juice concentrates, natural flavourings, food acid (330), natural colour (161b), thickeners (415, 466), water.
Tropical Protein Booster Smoothie
Ingredients: ice, tropical smoothie syrup (fruit puree concentrate, refined fruit juice, water, fruit pulp, fruit juice concentrates, natural flavourings, food acid (330), natural colour (161b), thickeners (415, 466), water, protein powder (whey protein concentrate, milk solidsThis is obtained by evaporating milk with different fat cont..., vegetable gum (415), salt, emulsifier (322 – Soy)).
Mixed Berry Smoothie
Ingredients: ice, mixed berry syrup (refined fruit juice, fruit puree concentrates (including berry), water, fruit puree, fruit juice concentrate (including berry), vegetable concentrate (including berry), natural flavourings, thickeners (415, 466), food acid (330)), water
Mixed Berry Protein Booster Smoothie
Ingredients: ice, mixed berry syrup (refined fruit juice, fruit puree concentrates (including berry), water, fruit puree, fruit juice concentrate (including berry), vegetable concentrate (including berry), natural flavourings, thickeners (415, 466), food acid (330), water, protein powder: whey protein concentrate, milk solids, vegetable gum (415), salt, emulsifier (322 – Soy)).
Composition analysis
At first glance, the composition of the new smoothies and their caloric content seem quite OK. Unfortunately, after careful analysis, we noticed the addition of at least 3 food additives. All of them are safe, but if you can avoid them then better do it.
The smoothies’ caloric content range from 149 cal (Tropical Smoothie) to 287 cal (Mixed Berry Protein Booster Smoothie). A person leading a healthy lifestyle can replace one meal, eg 2nd breakfast, with such a drink.
However, let’s take a look at the nutritional table where you can see exactly how much sugar will be delivered to the body by drinking such a smoothie. The amount of sugar goes from 30 g to almost 50 g! Unfortunately, this amount is not saved by the fact that the sugar comes from fruit with no added sugar in the composition. Most of the ingredients used are concentrated, i.e. concentrated solutions of fruit, including sugars, and several of them are used in each smoothie.
When it comes to the protein smoothie, touted by McDonald’s as the perfect post-workout meal – indeed, the amount of protein is higher compared to a regular smoothie. Unfortunately, the amount of sugar also increases. In addition, let’s also pay attention to the quality of the protein. The smoothie’s composition includes whey protein concentrate (WPC), which contains a greater amount of fats and carbohydrates compared to whey protein isolate (WPI).
Summary
Drinking new smoothies from time to time will certainly not hurt us. However, after analysing the composition and nutritional table, we find that this is not a good product for people who care about their health and figure. A high amount of sugar and possibly a small amount of fibre is also not a good choice for people with diabetes and insulin resistance. The amount of sugar contained in a single smoothie exceeds the acceptable daily intake of this ingredient.
If the McDonald’s chain wants to be associated with healthy eating and a place where athletes come, it must change its definition of the word “healthy”. Unfortunately, the current offer is far from that. It’s great that you can already see some small changes and this is a step in the right direction. However, it takes many years and mental changes to make such places friendly to people who lead a healthy lifestyle.
