- Smoothie King has a new line of hydrating smoothies that are packed with electrolytes.
- They come in three flavors: Hydration Berry, Hydration Watermelon and Hydration Pineapple Mango.
- A dietitian shares that she would order the berry flavor, plus what to keep in mind about these smoothies.
It’s a smoothie summer, and your favorite smoothie chain just got an upgrade with their newest releases. This week, Smoothie King launched a line of three smoothies that are tailored to put hydration front and center. The flavors include Hydration Berry, Hydration Watermelon and Hydration Pineapple Mango, which all sound delicious.
But what makes them more hydrating than a regular smoothie? Each one contains an electrolyte blend, which contains coconut water, a natural source of electrolytes like potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium. And because these smoothies use fresh fruit, fruit juice and stevia for sweeteners, they contain no added sugar. Too much added sugar can actually cause side effects like excessive thirst and chronic fatigue, so these smoothies are more likely to quench your thirst and keep you energized over your typical sugary energy drink.
Before you swing by your local Smoothie King, there are some things you should keep in mind. Here’s what our senior nutrition editor and dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD thinks about these smoothies—and which one she would personally order.
“I love a smoothie from time to time, and some of these new flavors sound really delicious,” Ball says. “My first order would probably be the Hydration Berry flavor. However, these smoothies are much higher in calories and carbohydrates than a smoothie most people would make at home. Part of that could be their size, as even the smallest size at 20 ounces is larger than most standard cups.”
To see what she means, here is the nutrition information for a small 20-ounce Hydration Berry smoothie:
- Calories: 190
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Dietary fiber: 5 g
- Total sugars: 34 g
- Added sugar: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Total fat: 0 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 260 mg
While there’s a decent amount of fiber and electrolytes in these smoothies, for a drink limited in protein, it may not be the most satisfying option even with its higher-calorie and carb count.
“Additionally, while they don’t have added sugar, they’re sweetened with stevia,” Ball explains. “This is a nonnutritive sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so it’s important to enjoy these infrequently as something special rather than a staple of your diet.” If you don’t have a strong sweet tooth, beware that these drinks may be too sweet for you!
Although stevia is considered a safe sugar substitute in comparison to nonnutritive sweeteners, more research is needed to understand the sweetener’s long-term effects. But at EatingWell, we are firm believers that any food or drink can be enjoyed, as long as it’s done so in moderation. So if you want to try one of these hydrating smoothies, go for it.
Overall, it’s important to stay hydrated throughout the day, and a smoothie can help with that. If you don’t have a Smoothie King nearby, try hydrating recipes like our high-protein Watermelon-Peach Smoothie or Pineapple Green Smoothie this season.
