I’ll admit it: a mango pineapple smoothie sounds like a pretty refreshing treat on a hot summer’s day. But the McCafé Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie that’s being promoted as #ANewMcDFavorite on Twitter right now is anything but real fruit. Unless you consider “clarified demineralized pineapple juice concentrate” and “mango puree concentrate” or “pineapple juice concentrate” to be real fruit, not to mention the multiple forms of added acid.
There are probably items on the McDonald’s menu that are worse for you. A large soda doesn’t have vitamin A or vitamin C, but you’re still consuming a whopping 220 calories. Plus, you’re drinking those calories, which means they aren’t likely make you feel full or satisfied.
It also contains 49 grams of sugar, or more sugar than a can of Coke. Recent research shows that sugar consumed in liquid form is metabolized differently than sugar in solid foods, and may be more likely to be converted into fat.
It’s a travesty that McDonald’s has the audacity to claim this product contains real fruit. Other McDonald’s fruit smoothies do contain whole fruit, but the concentrates in this drink don’t make the cut. No matter your health goals, you will be better off getting some fresh fruit, low fat milk or yogurt and blending up something at home.
Nutrition Information via McDonalds
Also Read:
McDonald’s Fruit Smoothie Actually One of Their Healthier Creations
McDonald’s Healthiest Menu Choices
Healthy Smoothie 101
June 30th, 2011
User Feedback
(Page 1 of 1, 4 total comments)Roger
So what if it's concentrate???? ... it's STILL real fruit! Why don't you go eat some raw turnips you typical liberal malcontent
posted Jul 3rd, 2012 11:36 amWinston
Hugely misleading headline just to get clicks and faint criticism. Thanks for cluttering up the Internet with worthless information.
posted Oct 27th, 2011 1:46 pmjamezb
Last time I checked, fruit concentrates contained real fruit with part of the moisture removed. A half pound of concentrate contains the nutrients of a pound of fruit. Thats not a chemical, nor is clarified pineapple juice. McDonalds may not be a healthy choice for everyday dining, but mistating the truth for the sake of attacking it because it is fashionable to do so in some circles is not responsible journalism.
posted Jul 14th, 2011 9:41 amJim Cooper
Sugar being metabolized? I would like to see some references on sugar being metabolized differently in liquid and solid form. I am not sure this is true.