Soooooo...Innocent Smoothies? Good for them or equivalent of Fruit Shoots?

[Teuch]

Bearing in mind I have limited access to fresh fruit and have only ever managed to make disgusting smoothies myself...

DS loves the innocent drinks, but I wonder how innocent they really are...

Yes it is a good option. Rest easy

There must be a difference as it will be fructose not sucrose, and I know my diabetic uncle always used to have fructose when he added sugar, had fructose in cakes etc.

Fruit sugar (fructose) is absorbed at a slower rate than sucrose (cane sugar - silverspoon type) so is therefore "better" because it gives a less rapid peak/trough in insulin, which is why diabetics and people on Low GI diets can have fructose based products.

Smoothies are a great source of vitamins, fibre and of course - fruit; just make sure you go for Innocent, PJ or the Good Food Co because they are the three main ones that use JUST fruit - no concentrates.

er I am thick - I don't mean "less rapid" - I clearly mean "slower" !!

yes exactly tortoishell and lewis fan.
It is not about ;knowing one's fruit' it is about having children who don't want to eat fruit and having an alternative.
And yes of course i dilute fruit juice for ds, mainly for his teeth.

I drink Innocents for the sugar rush - lovely! Great when I'm feeling hyerglyceamic or after working out. I have two skinny active children and am happy for them to have one as an occasional treat too. I do think they are a treat though - mainly because they are expensive.

hmc - I don't follow the logic. So because I make cakes with my DCs from time to time, and because they contain a proportion of sugar, then it follows that I have to advocate the unlimited and indiscriminate drinking of smoothies? FWIW my DCs also quite often eat chocolate, ice-cream and even (gasps in horror) coke. My youngest too also sometimes have Innocent smoothies (and home-made ones). My issue isn't with sugar per-se obviously. What I find hard to deal with is a drink that is packed with sugar being marketed as more or less a health food. And the risk is that some parents will allow a child to have a smoothie every time they want a drink, because they are good for you. Yes it contains fruit, for that matter so does red wine, but the devil is in the processing. Because something contains fruit, does not mean it is as straightforwardly good for you as fruit. Cheese is full of protein and calcium but if I handed my son a 40z chunk of cheese I don't suppose anyone would think I was doing a very sensible thing. There is no food that in unlimited quantities is totally good for you.

As nooka says they are a treat. Not an everyday item. However I can see if your child won't eat fruit a smoothie might be a good option, but not all the time every day.

i think cheese is quite good to have after the smoothie to counteract the acid on teethe effect

I share ormrians view

i find it an interesting subject

there is some quite some interesting research re fructose and diabetes and also ibs

if u are hypoglycaemic then an innocent smoothie will rapidly bring your sugar levels up

but if you are hypoglycaemic then drinking lots of smoothies will not tend to help long term

if you are a diabetic and having a hypo then coke will be better ie quicker

I was once told that apple juice was one of the best things for a hypo.

I work for a fruit juice manufacturer and we make all kinds from the most expensive not-from-concentrate 'chilled' juices to the cheapest supermarket own brands. And generally the amount of processing is more or less the same. They bear no resemblance to fresh fruit. If you want fresh, totally good for you, juice, get an orange and a juicer. I do buy juice for my DCs but I don't let them drink it all the time. Same for smoothies.

who said unlimited and indiscriminate use of them? We arguing they cannot be compared to coke, for crying out loud. What an odd thread.

if i'm hypo, juice is absolutely the best thing (or glucose tablets, but they're gross!). smoothies are full of sugar but it isn't as quickly absorbed as in juice.

If you want to make a smoothie just like an Innocent... Half a banana, a handful of berries (fresh or frozen), a few glugs of apple juice. Whizz with handblender until smooth - add more apple juice if it's too thick.

The innocent smoothies tell you exactly what's in them, so you can copy.

Well I'm afraid I find that hilarious.

So...what do your kids eat?@ smoothie-banning mums?

Hmm, so something that contains:
Acidity Regulator (Trisodium citrate E331), Preservatives (Potasssium sorbate E202, Dimethyldicarbonate E242, Sodium Benzoate E211), Vitamins (C, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, B6, D, B12), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K) Stabiliser (Xanthan gum), Colour (Anthocyanins E163)

is on a par with something that contains:
Bananas, strawberries, orange juice, lemon juice?

My kids drink nothing but water and eat nothing but lentils and fresh vegetables...

bigbadwolf - they aren't on a par with fruitshoots - the effects of artificial sweeteners on the body are different to the natural sugars found in fruit itself.

The longer term effects of these things are still being researched, I would rather give something that is naturally occuring rather than a man made product.

what a load of tosh that guardian article is

Ellas house/Innocent fruit smoothie things taste nice and arent full of chemicals

I think the only issue is how expensive they are!

I don't see how this comparison thing is helpful. They may or may not be better for you than fruit shoot or coke - so what? It is still not a good idea to drink too much of them. Which isn't the impression that you get from watching the ads. And that is my only objection to them. That somehow because something is made of fruit it is therefore good for you.

Why don't you see them as a healthy option though? Fruit juice counts as one portion of fruit - and that's all a smoothie is really.

I don't think bigbadwulf is saying that they can't be. But in moderation. As am I.

Aren't Innocent Smoothies and those Ella's pouches all heat treated though? So that the end product loses some of the nutritional
value that you get in freshly prepared equivalents? That's what puts me off giving them to my 18 month old dd as well as the whole sugar debate.