What’s in a McDonalds Smoothie?

By on January 27, 2012 in Lets Talk Fitness

Today I stopped back at Central Market to get the full size smoothie (note, do not go there at noon). I selected their most basic option – strawberries, apple juice and banana. They told me that these ingredients are all organic- I saw the juice bottle and it said organic. The smoothie was $4 (16oz) – need to see how this price compares to Smoothie King. I tell ya, it really is quite good – has a nice thickness to it and I could see myself drinking off this smoothie all afternoon.

I was looking around at smoothie recipes and general nutrition since I figure this cup is filled with sugar. I stumbled across the ingredients list from McDonalds. You can download it here. McDonalds has a “Strawberry Banana Smoothie” – here are the ingredients:

Ingredients: Strawberry Banana Fruit Blend, Low Fat Yogurt, Ice

Low fat yogurt ingredients: Cultured Grade A reduced fat milk, sugar, whey protein concentrate, fructose, corn starch, gelatin. Contains active yogurt cultures.

The interesting part is the “strawberry banana fruit blend” which contains: Strawberry puree, banana puree, water, sugar, concentrated apple juice, contains less than 1% of the following: cellulose powder, natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, xanthan gum, citric acid, colored with fruit and vegetable juice, pectin, ascorbic acid (preservative).

The large strawberry banana smoothie has 330 calories and 70 grams of sugar. It’s important to note that McDonalds ADDS sugar in the fruit blend. For comparison, a whole 3 Musketeers bar has 40 grams of sugar and 260 calories.

So unlike my smoothie which has only the three ingredients, the one from McDonalds has a ton of ingredients and isn’t actually made in the store, it is just whipped up from some mix in the store. I think this is the biggest thing that Linda has taught me – to read the labels. Just because something looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck, doesn’t mean it is a duck.

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I Drank A Smoothie and I Liked It

By on January 26, 2012 in Lets Talk Fitness

I had 30 minutes to kill this morning while doing my laundry and decided to stop at Central Market (it’s like Whole Foods) to get some popcorn kernels. As I was walking around I realized they have a smoothie bar so I figured why not finally try one.

I approached the smoothie counter, a bit nervous, and the smoothista (smoothie + barista?) asked me which one I wanted. I explained that I am a newbie and she suggested I start with the basic smoothie. This basic version includes strawberries, banana and apple juice. I guess she could see I was not immediately saying yes so she offered to make one and give me a sample that I could try (like a crack dealer I suppose!) and then decide if I want a full serving.

Away went the blender crushing and grinding down the fruits as I anxiously awaited this new addition to my healthier lifestyle. The blender stopped, the smoothista put the trial sample into a cup and I began to walk back to the car.

I have to say, it actually tasted quite good. I could clearly taste the apple juice and it the consistency was a touch thicker than a Slurpee except that instead of sugar and crap, this was filled with fruits. I am definitely going to get a full one tomorrow. I assume that each one will taste slightly different since it’s not a machine making the beverage. I also assume Linda will want me to put in some spinach – one thing at a time!

 

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Today’s Veggie & Fruits Haul

By on January 25, 2012 in Lets Talk Fitness

Stopped to get some more “stuff” today – below is an image of the big haul…

  • Green Pepper – they had 3 colors, green was cheapest so I figured I start there
  • Bananas – pictured in yellow
  • Roma tomato – these were on sale
  • Fuji apples – also on sale
  • Baked potato

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Adventures at the Salad Bar & Salad Dressings

By on January 24, 2012 in Lets Talk Fitness

Today I went to Whole Foods as I figured it would be a good way to try a few things at the salad bar without having to buy a whole something and then throw it out if I didn’t like it.

First a stop at the salad bar – here is what is in the container:

  • peas – my sister loves peas from LeSeur – these are fresh, no idea if they taste different
  • spinach
  • romaine lettuce
  • tomatoes
  • carrots

Result: Eating the salad I picked out straight up tasted fine. The spinach tastes a lot like lettuce.

Next, one of the employees helped me pick out a few salad dressings to try – and they didn’t even charge me!

Two of the dressings are their house-made variety – he said those have very little oil and he said some other things they removed but I forgot – those two are the Tomato Herb and the Balsamic Vinegar.

The other two are from a bottle – I didn’t note the brand – those are the Ranch and the Creamy Italian.

Also, check out what salad dressings people said they like when I asked on G+.

Result:

  • Tomato Herb – smells like tomatoes, I guess it is passable if I breathe a lot
  • Creamy Italian – didn’t care for the smell
  • Ranch – smells like mayo and tasted like sour cream – people actually like this?
  • Balsamic – yea, I am not ready to put this in my mouth

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First Attempt at Salad

By on January 23, 2012 in Lets Talk Fitness

Ok here goes nothing…tonight I will try a salad with my dinner. I am sure Linda won’t love the fact that it is a pre-bagged mix, but I figured it would be a way to try a few vegetables at once without having to prepare anything. Here is a link to the mix I selected, it has broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage and carrots in it and it is very finely diced so that should help. I will report back after dinner on how it went. I also asked people on G+ for their favorite salad dressings so that I can get away from just eating the salad completely plain.

In addition to the bag of salad mix, I bought one tomato, three apples and three bananas. Lastly, for the next two weeks I will post daily what I ate for that day.

Update post-dinner: Ok so I tried the salad mix and let’s just say it did not go well. I think I need to start with the vegetables I know I can deal with while I try the new ones. I went with the tomato and it tasted fine.

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Welcome!

By on January 20, 2012 in Lets Talk Fitness

Welcome to my health and fitness blog. My goal here is to share the journey I am taking to work to get into great shape. I am looking forward to an amazing 2012, both personally and professionally. I’ve tried to lose weight and/or get in shape before but this time I feel like I have the proper tools and support to actually cross the finish line.

As the site grows, I plan to add a forum to allow readers to share their stories and together we will all cross the finish line.

So again, welcome to LetsTalkFitness!

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