So ....I'm addicted to "Booster Juice"...

As a future nutrition professional I am no longer surprised when people assume I am a 'holistic', 'health-freak', 'organic', 'calorie-conscious' wacko right?

So it may be true that I enjoy eating healthy, but I must confess that I am CRAZY about Booster Juice. I'd never been to Booster Juice until I started volunteering at Toronto General Hospital and one particular day my growling stomach led me to the food court. Faced with fast food options I rarely opt for, I decided to give Booster Juice a go, and man did I love my first 'Banana Beach' smoothie!

I went to Booster Juice a few more times before my keen nutrition student interest led me to look up the nutritional information on the company's website. Was I shocked at what I saw? Hardly! After all, I've visited Starbucks website before and have witnessed how even the products we'd consider the least harmless aren't always what they appear.

So nutritionally speaking...how does Booster Juice rate? I posted the nutrition facts for my personal favourite smoothie, the Funky Monkey. At first glance I notice the calories...517! Not too bad as a meal, but certainly high for a snack. Respected RD Leslie Beck even commented on this in a eNutrition News newsletter on snacking. So yes, as a snack Booster Juice is a bit much!

But as a meal, Booster Juice isn't so bad...I mean when I've had the pleasure of indulging its always been for my lunch...keeping me full for a long time. I've restrained myself but do allow myself 1 Booster Juice a week, which is a nice treat to look forward to after a busy morning volunteering at the clinic.

I guess the morale of my Booster Juice story is that I was under the impression that it wasn't really all that good for you, and that I as a nutrition student should surely know better than to go there...but upon investigation it really isn't so bad...After all, 1 Smoothie contains 9 grams of fibre, minimal cholesterol, and no trans fats which is pretty good....assuming of course you enjoy them in moderation because it also contains a lot of sugar! That said, I will still continue to enjoy my 1 Booster Juice Smoothie a week....and I will continue to look up nutritional info for food and beverage items as I was surprised this time that something was actually not as bad as I was expecting!