Are Planet Smoothie's New Avocado Drinks Actually Healthy?
Planet Smoothie has incorporated one of the absolute healthiest foods you can buy into some new menu offerings, but healthy ingredients don't always mean healthy food products. For instance, although Burger King says its Double Whopper sandwich includes lettuce and tomatoes, Nutrition Value states the sandwich contains 67% of the daily recommended allowance of sodium. Add on a soda and a side of fries, and you're likely already over your sodium intake for the day in just one meal.
While Double Whoppers might be something you intake in moderation, you could not be eating enough avocado. Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, tells Mashed, "Avocados contain an essential fat that has benefits beyond physical implications, though it improves skin appearance as well, into brain health. This fat is omega-3 fatty acid and avocado contains this as well as oleic acid, both beneficial for beauty and the brain."
Thus, Planet Smoothie's inclusion of avocados can provide consumers with some of those benefits. The real question, however, is whether the entire package counteracts those benefits by giving you too much of what you don't necessarily need. And no one can answer that question better than an RD.
The Best evaluation of Planet Smoothie's avocado products
Planet Smoothie's new lineup, which is based on the unexpected fruit, avocado, delivers on providing the healthy fats registered dietitian Trista Best recommends. For example, a 20-ounce Nutty Avocado supplies nearly half of the recommended daily fat intake, according to Planet Smoothie. Best explains to Mashed that the three avocado smoothies — Avo-Loco, Nutty Avocado, and Piña Paradise — do so without ruining the rest of your fitness goals.
"These smoothies are well rounded with all three macronutrients: fat, carbs, and protein," Best says. "As a meal replacement, these smoothies are well-balanced enough to not require extra add-ins, such as protein, flavors, or vitamins and minerals. They contain between 300 and just below 500 calories depending on size and flavor, which is an excellent range for a meal replacement."
Best adds that the avocado in the recipes has another benefit of ensuring customers get enough fiber. As the Mayo Clinic points out, consuming enough fiber is important for not only regularity, but regulating blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight. The optimal way to make these avocado smoothies part of a healthy diet is right in Best's comments, as she mentions they can be stellar meal replacements. Within that context, these smoothies have approval from Best.