It’s not every day that a smoothie goes viral. But the Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie — created in collaboration with Hailey Bieber and sold at Los Angeles grocery store Erewhon — has been all over social media since its debut alongside her skin care line Rhode in 2022. It’s the most delicious smoothie I’ve ever had and includes fancy ingredients like sea moss and collagen. But with a $20 price point, it’s hard not to wonder if it’s worth it — and if it’s as healthy as it appears to be.
The smoothie includes fancy ingredients like sea moss and collagen. This isn’t the only pricey smoothie on the market to go beyond the standard frozen fruit and nut butters. Erewhon exclusively has a slew of other smoothies that are similarly priced and include unique ingredients that claim to have health benefits, in addition to celebrity endorsements — like blue spirulina, featured in their $21 jfLAre Smoothie by Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Jack Flaherty, or “hydrogen-infused water,” which is found in podcaster Gary Brecka’s Perfect Amino Smoothie. Meanwhile, their somewhat more reasonably priced Energy Elixir ($16) contains “organic mucuna,” a staple in Ayurvedic medicine, while the $19 Mint Chip Energizer contains “organic barley grass.” Even the Malibu Mango Smoothie ($19) contains more than just your typical tropical ingredients: It also features lion’s mane, a mushroom with allegedly health-protective properties.
These ingredients may make you feel as healthy as a celebrity, but is the juice worth the squeeze? Here’s what experts think.
Are pricey smoothies healthy?
Bharathi Ramesh, a New York-based nutritionist, tells Yahoo Life that these smoothies may be more expensive due to their “premium” ingredients, but just because they contain some so-called superfoods does not necessarily make them healthy or worth the cost.
Ramesh says that many of the claimed benefits of these foods are “based on preliminary research or traditional uses rather than robust scientific evidence.”
Dietitian Dawn Menning agrees that the research isn’t clear on the exact dose needed of many of these superfood ingredients to provide the health benefits they tout — and that Erewhon, for example, doesn’t share the quantities of their ingredients publicly. “In smoothies packed with so many different ingredients, we don’t know how much of each one is actually being added,” Menning tells Yahoo Life.
Also, a single smoothie can only do so much when it comes to improving your health. While an ingredient like blue spirulina — which is rich in polyphenols that help reduce age-related cell damage — may be effective, the amount included in the smoothie is likely not enough to make a difference, especially if you’re just treating yourself to it once in a while.
Catherine Gervacio, a diet consultant at WowMD, tells Yahoo Life that “adaptogens and superfoods generally need to be consumed regularly and in specific amounts to see significant effects, and a single smoothie may not deliver that level of concentration.”
Is there any harm to trying these smoothies?
If you can afford to drop 20 bucks on a smoothie, feel free. But experts recommend paying attention to some of the ingredients.
Emily Timm, a dietitian with Fay Nutrition, tells Yahoo Life that “many of these recipes feature coconut water, coconut meat and/or coconut cream and moderation is key.” That’s because coconut-containing products are high in calories and saturated fat.
“We know saturated fat raises LDL, the kind of cholesterol that increases your risk for heart disease, so consuming these products regularly could raise these levels,” she says.
Timm adds that she was surprised to see xylitol, a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener, featured in some of the Erewhon smoothies, such as their Green Goddess smoothie. Research recently linked high levels of xylitol to heart attack and stroke.
Erewhon does not make their calorie counts or ingredient lists easily accessible to the public, so you may be taking in more calories, fat or sugar than you might want to include in your diet, under the notion that these smoothies are healthy.
“Smoothies can replace meals on certain occasions, especially if they’re balanced with protein, healthy fats and fiber,” says Gervacio. “However, because they’re liquid, smoothies are generally less filling than whole foods, and you might get hungry sooner.”
How to make a better smoothie at home
There are plenty of perks to smoothies — and you don’t have to spend $20 in order to have one that’s healthy and filling.
“The perfect smoothie should be balanced, and packed with real foods and nutrients to fuel your body,” Carolina Schneider, a dietitian and nutrition adviser for food delivery service Daily Harvest, tells Yahoo Life. “It should always include a vegetable source like leafy greens — spinach or kale are great options. You can also sneak in cauliflower rice or zucchini for an extra boost of fiber and vitamins without altering the flavor too much.”
It’s also important to add protein and fat, says Gervacio. While fruits and vegetables provide nutrients like vitamins and minerals, protein and fat in your smoothie makes them more satisfying and filling. Good sources of protein for smoothies include Greek yogurt, protein powder, silken tofu, soy milk and hemp seeds, while fat sources include avocado, nut butters, chia seeds, coconut milk and flaxseeds.
Need some inspiration? Chris Mohr, a fitness and nutrition adviser at Fortune Recommends, suggests trying a smoothie made with low-fat or fat-free milk, spinach, banana, nut butter, protein powder and chia seeds. “This mix supports energy, satiety and balanced nutrition,” he tells Yahoo Life.
