Smoothing out the confusion

Fruit juice and smoothies are virtually the same, right? Not quite. While they both contain fruit and veg, which can count towards your 5 A Day, there are some differences between the two.


Fruit or veg juice is just as it says on the carton, juice. If it is pure juice and unsweetened, then a 150ml glass can count as 1 portion of your 5 A Day.

Smoothies on the other hand have gone that extra mile. Not only do they usually contain pure juice, but they also contain the pulp of the edible parts of fruit and/or veg. As long as the smoothie contains 150ml of pure unsweetened juice plus at least 80g of fruit or veg pulp, it counts as 2 portions. The same applies if a smoothie contains 2 80g portions of different fruits or veg - this type of smoothie might use milk or yoghurt as a base rather than fruit juice.

Whether you are drinking fruit juice or smoothies, they can only count as 1 or 2 of your 5 A Day respectively, no matter how much of them you drink and even if they were based on different fruit or veg. I know you're wondering why. When fruit is juiced, the sugars become very concentrated (the reason why your dentist doesn't like you drinking a lot of fruit juice) and you lose the beneficial fibre from the pulp. It's true that your smoothies do contain the pulp, but most of the time they also contain fruit juice as well. You might have made a fruit smoothie with a banana, peach and pot of natural yoghurt, thinned down with a little milk, but have you any idea how many calories that might contain? Obviously it depends on exact amounts used and how low fat the yoghurt and milk used were, but it's looking around 250Kcal. It's easy to consume a lot of calories in liquid form without realising it, so unless you are needing to gain weight, it's another reason for limiting consumption of fruit juice and smoothies to once daily. If you make a smoothie purely from green veg, then you get away with having several daily, but in reality, who would want to?

We're all familiar with a particular brand of smoothie, but it's so much cheaper to make your own at home. It also gives you the chance to be a bit creative, as with smoothies you really can use whatever combination of fruit you want to. Banana is a popular addition though as it helps to thicken them. If you've got fruit that's a little past its best, it's a great way to use it up. Tinned and frozen fruit also work well, as they do tend to be softer. If you find you end up making more smoothie than you wanted, cover and place in the fridge where it should keep for a day or two.

You can have a smoothie at any time of day, but you might like to think of having a glass as an alternative to a dessert after a meal - their natural sweetness should curb a craving for chocolate or cake. Another idea is to have a smoothie for breakfast, particularly if you add milk or yoghurt and add a tablespoon or two of oats you've got a balanced meal that will keep you going all morning.

What is your favourite combination for a smoothie?