By Paige Burns, News Correspondent and Laura Finaldi, News Staff
It’s less than a month until summer officially starts, and the sun is finally crawling into the Boston area. With warm weather comes the inevitable hunt for a tasty way to cool off. The many different smoothies at venues throughout the city can be a sweet, fruity option to staying chill.
Nutrition One, located on campus near the Marino Center, offers several fruit smoothies as well as a Nutella smoothie. Fruit smoothies at Nutrition One are made with fresh frozen fruits free of syrups and additives, something which Boston-based dietitian Kate Scarlata said should be avoided.
“No need for extra sugar,” she said. “Fruit is sweet enough.”
Boloco also has its own Nutella smoothie and features heavier blended options such as the Cookie Monster, which has cookies, skim milk and non-fat frozen yogurt, to tempt the dedicated exerciser into putting the calories right back on. They also offer fruitier options such as the lactose-intolerant friendly Soy Berry Shake, a blend of bananas, strawberries, blueberries, soy milk and honey.
Nutella may sound tasty, but if nutritional value is a priority, a smoothie with fresh fruits , low-fat Greek yogurt and probiotic, immune system-boosting live and active cultures as a dairy base may be a better choice, Scarlata said.
Hikari Izumi, a senior marketing major, said she prefers fruit-based smoothies such as the Peach Pleasure smoothie offered at Jamba Juice over chocolate or peanut butter smoothies.
“I like fruit smoothies better. I feel like [some smoothies] are too heavy and too sweet otherwise,” she said. “Even with ice cream, I don’t prefer chocolate as much.”
Jamba Juice, located at 1155 Tremont St., offers various low-calorie smoothie options. They offer three light smoothies – “Strawberry Nirvana,” “Mango Mantra” and “Berry Fulfilling.” Each has less than 200 calories in a “sixteen” size.
Although iced coffee is increasingly popular during the summer months, Scarlata said a fruit smoothie is the more energizing option.
“Iced coffee will give you a quick perk up, but a fruit smoothie made with fiber-rich fruits and protein-filled Greek yogurt will energize your body longer,” Scarlata said.
With several locations in the Boston area, Emack and Bolio’s was called Best Smoothie in Town by The Boston Globe. Their menu features smoothies that are either frozen yogurt or fresh fruit sorbet-based, which are blended with fresh-squeezed fruit juices and varieties of fruits. As an alternative to blended treats, Emack and Bolio’s has homemade ice cream and microbrewed sodas to stay cool.
For anyone willing to make a trip farther from campus, the Blue Shirt Café, at 424 Highland Ave. in Somerville, was voted Best of Boston in 2008 for its frozen yogurt and sherbet-blended creations in every flavor–options range from a strawberry, banana and apple juice Eye Opener blend to the cappuccino, chocolate and non-fat yogurt blended Chocolate Mocha Bliss.
Finding the perfect smoothie for specific dietary needs may not be the simplest of tasks, so many people choose to make their own smoothies at home.
Scarlata’s blog, katescarlata.wordpress.com, features recipes such as a minty smoothie made with lemon and pear and a mixed fruit and yogurt smoothie that has chia seeds, which have an extra fiber boost.
Like anything sweet, Scarlata said smoothies should be enjoyed in moderation.
“Smoothies can be a healthy way to add fruit and yogurt to your diet, but they are not void of calories, so keep your portion size in check,” she said.
