Juice It Up is a franchise that features a variety of fruit- and yogurt-based smoothies. Although fruit and yogurt are healthy foods, some smoothies contain high levels of added sugars, which have no nutritional value and may promote obesity. Some Juice It Up smoothies contain special ingredients such as green tea. According to the Mayo Clinic websiite, green tea is purported to assist in a variety of conditions. However, you should examine the nutrition facts of Juice It Up's green tea smoothie to see whether the other ingredients outweigh green tea's benefits.
Calories
According to the nutrition facts from the official Juice It Up website, one Green Tea Chiller smoothie contains 490 calories. The nutrition facts also indicate that this smoothie contains more than four times the calories in the 8-oz servings of apple juice offered by Juice It Up.
Fat Content
Although many of the Juice It Up smoothies are low in fat, the franchise's website indicates that the green tea smoothie contains 15 g of fat. Because fat contains nine calories per gram, consuming too much fat can lead to obesity. The Juice It Up smoothie is higher in fat than many dessert foods --- even a full package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups contains just 13 g of fat, according to Hershey's Chocolate.
Carbohydrate Content
Juice It Up's nutritional facts sheet explains that the green tea smoothie contains 80 g of carbohydrates. Of these carbohydrates, just 2 g come from dietary fiber, while 67 g come from sugar. Sugar is often referred to as "empty calories" because it offers no vitamins and minerals. The level of sugar in the Juice It Up Green Tea Chiller is quite high: more than three times the sugar contained in a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The Harvard Medical School explains that high sugar intake, particularly from sugary drinks, may be a factor in increasing levels of childhood obesity. In addition, the school notes that increased intake of sugary drinks is correlated with a higher risk of diabetes.
Protein Content
The Juice It Up green tea smoothie contains 9 g of protein. Although this is higher than many of the other Juice It Up smoothies, it is half of the amount of protein contained in one of Juice It Up's jalapeno cheese pretzels, according to the franchise's nutritional facts. Protein is a vital nutrient involved in muscle-building and other metabolic processes.
Vitamins and Minerals
According to the Juice It Up nutritional facts, the green tea smoothie has a limited amount of vitamins and minerals. The most prominent nutrient in this smoothie is calcium, as it contains 15 percent of the daily recommended value. The shake also contains 6 percent of the daily recommended vitamin C and 6 percent of the daily recommended intake of iron.
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