Labels containing the word “fruit” or the name of a fruit can often be deceptive. They frequently convince customers to ignore the nutrition information and believe the product they’re about to consume is healthy. Behind the smoke and mirrors, however, lies the fact that many of these seemingly healthy options actually have more sugar than a can of Coca-Cola.
To be sure, many fruit juices and smoothies are healthy — providing valuable vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, many processed versions of these products lose their healthiness somewhere along the production process.
To see which juices and smoothies have more sugar than your standard 12-oz., 39 grams-of-sugar can of Coca-Cola, the experts at HealthGrove crunched the numbers from the ESHA nutrition database. The 25 items on this list are ranked from least to most sugar-laden.
Note: HealthGrove looked at all small drinks in order to best match the size of a can of coke. In the case of ties, the item with more calories is ranked higher (worse).
#25. Tim Hortons: Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Total Sugar: 43 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (335.52 grams)
Calories: 210
#24. McDonald’s: Mango Pineapple McCafe Smoothie
Total Sugar: 46.2 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (347 grams)
Calories: 218
#23. Starbucks: Iced Passion Tea & Lemonade Drink
Total Sugar: 47.6 grams
Serving Size: 16.0 fl. oz. (593 grams)
Calories: 188
#22. Dunkin’ Donuts: Minute Maid Orange Coolatta Blended Drink
Total Sugar: 51 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (443.2 grams)
Calories: 205
#21. Red Robin: Groovy Smoothie
Total Sugar: 55 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 beverage (450 grams)
Calories: 326
#20. Panera Bread: Lemonade
Total Sugar: 56 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (473.12 grams)
Calories: 225
#19. Auntie Anne’s: Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer Drink
Total Sugar: 56 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (378 grams)
Calories: 240
#18. Einstein Bros Bagels: Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Total Sugar: 56 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 beverage (510 grams)
Calories: 310
#17. Noah’s Bagels: Blackberry Lemonade
Total Sugar: 58 grams
Serving Size: 16.0 fl. oz. (528 grams)
Calories: 230
#16. Panera Bread: Strawberry Paradise Purity Organic Juice Drink
Total Sugar: 64 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 bottle (499.73 grams)
Calories: 260
#15. Denny’s: Groovy Mango Smoothie
Total Sugar: 64 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 regular beverage (488.8 grams)
Calories: 270
#14. f’real: Mango Smoothie
Total Sugar: 67 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 beverage (473.12 grams)
Calories: 290
#13. Cold Stone Creamery: Mango Pineapple Smoothie
Total Sugar: 67 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (496 grams)
Calories: 390
#12. Manhattan Bagel: Strawberry Lemonade
Total Sugar: 70 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 regular beverage (425.25 grams)
Calories: 350
#11. Jamba Juice: Orange Dream Machine Smoothie
Total Sugar: 71 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (496.8 grams)
Calories: 350
#10. Tropicana: Grape Juice
Total Sugar: 72 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 bottle (449.46 grams)
Calories: 290
#9. Tropicana: Strawberry Kiwi Cyclone Twister
Total Sugar: 73 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 bottle (591.4 grams)
Calories: 300
#8. Red Robin: Hawaiian Heart Throb Smoothie
Total Sugar: 75 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 beverage (420 grams)
Calories: 426
#7. Long John Silver’s: Strawberry Lemonade Iceflow Blended Drink
Total Sugar: 76 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 regular beverage (482 grams)
Calories: 320
#6. Starbucks: Caramel Apple Spice Drink
Total Sugar: 79.5 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (354.84 grams)
Calories: 435
#5. A&W Restaurant: Cherry Slushee Blended Drink
Total Sugar: 81 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 kids’ size beverage (345.36 grams)
Calories: 337
#4. Caribou Coffee: Mango Orange Key Lime Smoothie
Total Sugar: 82 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (550 grams)
Calories: 360
#3. Orange Julius: Tripleberry
Total Sugar: 92.4 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (478 grams)
Calories: 467
#2. Baskin Robbins: Mango Banana Smoothie
Total Sugar: 96 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (496.8 grams)
Calories: 440
#1. Smoothie King: Strawberry The Hulk Smoothie
Total Sugar: 125 grams
Serving Size: 1.0 small beverage (645.83 grams)
Calories: 964
