Tried and Tasted: Smoothies

Smoothies have really arrived. They're being given their own shelves in supermarkets and, most impressively, their own appliance in our homes. But how far have smoothie flavours advance? The WLR Taste Team love a juicy challenge to get stuck in to and had a lot to get through. Find out which of these smoothies they fell for.

Marks & Spencer Count On Us Strawberry & Raspberry Smoothie

Excellent, juicy flavour. Main ingredient, apple juice, did overshadow a little. The sharpness divided the team's opinions.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	125kcal	50kcal
CARBS	27.5g	11.0g
FAT	0.4g	0.2g
SODIUM	trace	trace
PROTEIN	1.3g	0.5g
FIBRE	7.0g	2.8g

Innocent Superfoods Pomegranates, Blueberries & Acai

Quite intense: thick; dark colour; unashamed of its gritty bits; a healthy smell and bold flavour. May take a lot of getting used to for some but well loved by those who do.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	143kcal	57kcal
CARBS	33.0g	13.2g
FAT	0.5g	0.2g
PROTEIN	1.5g	0.6g

Sainsbury's Exotic Orange & Mango Smoothie

Very good for an exotic fruit juice, but this is also where it falls down: not enough like a smoothie.

	Per 200ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	124kcal	62kcal
CARBS	27.8g	13.9g
FAT	0.4g	0.2g
SODIUM	trace	trace
PROTEIN	1.4g	0.7g
FIBRE	1.6g	0.8g

Tesco Super Fruit Smoothie with Guavas & Raspberries

Refreshing and energising with a unique, if slightly bland for some, flavour. Quite enjoyable.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	140kcal	60kcal
CARBS	27.8g	11.1g
FAT	2.5g	1.0g
SODIUM	trace	trace
PROTEIN	1.3g	0.5g
FIBRE	2.3g	0.9g

Asda Smoothie Strawberry, Banana and Guava

A weak taste at first which unfolds later. Could be a little thicker but a good mix of flavours.

	Per 200ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	116kcal	58kcal
CARBS	26.0g	13.0g
FAT	0.4g	0.2g
SODIUM	trace	trace
PROTEIN	1.4g	0.7g
FIBRE	2.0g	1.0g

Marks & Spencer Count On Us Strawberry & Vanilla Smoothie

Nice enough and a good mix of flavours but still seems to have something missing. Could probably do without its added sweeteners.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	125kcal	50kcal
CARBS	25.0g	10.0g
FAT	0.3g	0.1g
SODIUM	0.05g	0.02g
PROTEIN	5.5g	2.2g
FIBRE	1.0g	0.4g

Boots Shapers Strawberry & Banana Fruit Smoothies

Trying desperately to get attention. This was thick, smooth, sweet, sharp and tangy. But with a strange aftertaste.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	115kcal	46kcal
CARBS	27.0g	11.0g
FAT	0.3g	0.1g
SODIUM	trace	trace
PROTEIN	1.2g	0.5g
FIBRE	2.8g	1.1g

B2B Smoothies Peach & Passion Fruit

Bitter sweet. Tastes nicer than it looks but the peach taste, though fairly nice, did seem too chemically.

	Per 330ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	188kcal	57kcal
CARBS	43.2g	13.1g
FAT	<0.3g	<0.1g
SODIUM	trace	trace
PROTEIN	1.3g	0.4g
FIBRE	3.0g	0.9g

Waitrose Pear, Apricot & Blackberry Smoothie with Acai

The pear taste and pear bits split the tasters. Not the best, though some may find it enjoyable.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	152kcal	61kcal
CARBS	32.0g	12.8g
FAT	1.0g	0.4g
SODIUM	trace	trace
PROTEIN	3.8g	1.5g
FIBRE	3.5g	1.4g

Waitrose Alphonso Mango & Passion Fruit Smoothie

Has a 'cleaner' taste then some of the other orange smoothies though some could find it too weak.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	143kcal	57kcal
CARBS	31.4g	12.6g
FAT	1.0g	0.4g
SODIUM	0.06g	trace
PROTEIN	2.1g	0.9g
FIBRE	0.3g	0.1g

The Big J Raspberry and Banana Smoothie

A rich, dark colour masks a fairly weak flavour. Very watery and very tart.

	Per 250ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	165kcal	66kcal
CARBS	36.8g	14.7g
FAT	0.8g	0.3g
PROTEIN	3.3g	1.3g

Slim-Fast Peach & Mango Smoothie

Feels like a milkshake; tastes like bottom-end sweets. Very dry mouth feel and lingering aftertaste. Hard to imagine being a whole meal.

	Per 325ml	Per 100ml
CALORIES	215kcal	66kcal
CARBS	25.0g	7.7g
FAT	6.5g	2.0g
SODIUM	0.22g	0.07g
PROTEIN	14.0g	4.3g
FIBRE	4.2g	1.3g

Conclusion

As we have seen, there is no formal definition for a smoothie. Rightly or wrongly, they may not feature any of the puréed fruit you would normally expect. It may also be a label all too easily applied to drinks to try to gain some of the healthy connotations associated with the word 'smoothie'.

When your main ingredient is fruit you are generally tied down to certain truths. Firstly it should be very easy for anyone to make a healthy smoothie. You're starting with some of the best raw materials and we tend to expect smoothies to be natural and nutritious. Although fruit can be quite calorific, they are often seen them as 'good', necessary calories.

Secondly, if you're following the natural approach the flavour and consistency should all depend on the precise blend of fruits and vegetables used. Here is where the difficulty comes in and most of the smoothies above have risen to the challenge quite well using an impressive range of ingredients. Aside from obvious differences in quality, individual preferences for fruits are clearly at work here.

The simplicity of smoothies also means that anyone with a food processor of some kind can experiment and create their own smoothie recipes to their own tastes.