Nothing says “healthy” like a fresh fruit smoothie, so if you’re looking for a healthy option, Tropical Smoothie Cafe may seem like a great choice.
And while I would never argue that fruit is unhealthy, we have to remember that not all smoothies are created equally.
Even though they are made with fresh fruit, many smoothies contain a lot of added sugar and other add-ins that may make them less than ideal depending on your diet.
Of course, Tropical Smoothie Cafe also offers food, so let’s look at the entire menu to find the healthiest options for you!
Always remember that I don’t believe in calling something healthy or unhealthy, because these things are quite subjective depending on your specific diet. So, we’re simply going to break down the calories and nutrition facts for the entire Tropical Smoothie Cafe menu to help you find the best options for you.
Are Fruit Smoothies Healthy?
Smoothies have always been a popular option for those looking for a healthy snack or on-the-go meal option. While smoothies are made with fruit, which is undoubtedly nutritious and delicious, not all smoothies are created equal.
Some smoothies can be loaded with sugar and syrups, which can really load them up with tons of extra calories and grams of sugar.
It’s important to pay attention to what’s in your smoothie to ensure that you’re actually choosing a healthy option. When made with real fruit (either fresh fruit or frozen fruit), smoothies can be an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, and a great way to get extra fruits and vegetables into your diet.
One gripe that a lot of people have with smoothies is that they are not very filling. While it’s true that a smoothie may not be as satisfying or filling as a full meal, it can still be a great option for a quick and refreshing snack or meal replacement on the go.
Plus, there are plenty of ways to add protein and healthy fats to your smoothie to make it more filling and satisfying.
So, are smoothies healthy? In my opinion: yes.
The healthy ingredients of a fruit smoothie provide far more health benefits than the potential negative impact of some extra sugar or calories. But it’s always important to check the ingredients to make sure you are ordering something that supports your goals.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s Smoothies Breakdown
Tropical Smoothie Café is obviously known for its smoothies, so let’s take a closer look at the options offered.
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that we’re looking at smoothies if ordered as-is. In other words, we’re not making any customizations to these smoothies. We’ll look at the customization options, such as adding protein powder or changing up the fruit ingredients, but we’ll start with the standard Tropical Smoothie Cafe menu items.
As you can see from this guide, the nutrition facts of these smoothies can vary quite a bit depending on which you order, so let’s look at some of the best options based on different goals.
Lowest Calorie Smoothie
Detox Island Green Smoothie: 180 Calories, 0g Fat, 43g Carbs, 29g Sugar, 5g Fiber, 4g Protein
The Detox Island Green Smoothie from Tropical Smoothie is a smoothie made with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, banana, and ginger. It also includes fresh lime juice and has no added sugar, which keeps it very low calorie. If you’re looking for a smoothie with a ton of micronutrients and a low number of calories, this is the smoothie for you.
Highest Protein Smoothie
Peanut Paradise: 680 Calories, 17g Fat, 107g Carbs, 79g Sugar, 14g Fiber, 31g Protein
The peanut paradise smoothie is a creamy blend of peanut butter, banana, coconut, and whey protein powder. While 30 grams of protein is impressive, nearly 700 calories may be on the high side as a drink for many people. However, if you’re looking to build muscle, this is a solid option, especially post-workout!
Highest Fiber Smoothie
Chia Banana Boost Smoothie: 610 Calories, 12g Fat, 127g Carbs, 94g Sugar, 14g Fiber, 8g Protein
The chia banana boost from Tropical Smoothie is made with a combination of bananas, chia seeds, peanut butter, dates, almonds, and cinnamon. Because of these ingredients, this smoothie has the most fiber of any smoothie option on the menu.
Low Carb Tropical Smoothie Cafe Smoothies
At Tropical Smoothie, you can substitute the sugar in your smoothie for Splenda to bring the carbs and calories down. While these fruit smoothies still contain a fair amount of carbs from the fruit themselves, the carbs are significantly lower overall thanks to the Splenda.
Tropical Smoothie also offers the option to order half sugar (known as half Turbinado, which is the type of sugar they use) to also bring the calories and carbs down. This is a great option for anyone who wants less sugar but doesn’t want so much sugar substitute in their drink.
Here is a full nutrition breakdown of every smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe when ordered with Splenda.
The lowest carb smoothie options from Tropical Smoothie are…
Blueberry Bliss Smoothie: 33g Carbs (21g Sugar & 4g Fiber)
Jetty Punch Smoothie: 40g Carbs (23g Sugar & 5g Fiber)
Strawberry Daiquiri Smoothie: 40g Carbs (32g Sugar & 3g Fiber)
Sunrise Sunset Smoothie: 43g Carbs (34g Sugar & 2g Fiber)
Mango Magic Smoothie: 44g Carbs (27g Sugar & 11g Fiber)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s Food Menu
Tropical Smoothie offers a large variety of smoothies, but they also have a pretty robust food menu as well.
If you don’t find smoothies to be filling enough for a full meal, then pairing a smoothie with a food item is definitely the way to go. Personally, that’s always how I order!
Whether you’re in the mood for a wrap, a sandwich, or a salad, there are a ton of options to choose from.
Highest Protein Food Options
Chicken Caprese Sandwich: 660 Calories, 26g Fat, 62g Carbs, 45g Protein
Turkey Bacon Ranch: 560 Calories, 20g Fat, 59g Carbs, 42g Protein
Baha Chicken Wrap: 640 Calories, 24g Fat, 67g Carbs, 38g Protein
Caribbean Jerk Chicken Wrap: 590 Calories, 17g Fat, 74g Carbs, 37g Protein
Many food options from Tropical Smoothie end up being healthy choices if high-protein is the goal., Many of the options, like the santa fe chicken quesadilla or the chicken bacon ranch flatbread, contain over 30 grams of protein, making them solid options.
I left the avocado grilled cheese off of this list because while it does contain 42 grams of protein, it also contains nearly 1,000 calories, so it’s not necessarily a great source of protein.
Note: you can add extra protein to any sandwich to bump up the protein even more!
Lowest Carb Food Options
Beach Club Salad: 350 Calories, 20g Fat, 11g Carbs, 29g Protein
Supergreen Caesar Salad: 550 Calories, 43g Fat, 9g Carbs, 32g Protein
If you want to eat low carb at Tropical Smoothie, you’ll beed to stick with a salad. Since all of the other options are some form of sandwiches, the only way to avoid the high-carb breads or wraps is to go with a salad.
However, the thai chicken salad is not necessarily a low carb option (it contains 39 grams of carbs total) so you’ll want to stick with one of these two options.
Lowest Calorie Food Options
Chicken Pesto Flatbread (without parmesan cheese): 350 Calories, 11g Fat, 42g Carbs, 21g Protein
Beach Club Salad: 350 Calories, 20g Fat, 11g Carbs, 29g Protein
Thai Chicken Salad: 370 Calories, 13g Fat, 39g Carbs, 25g Protein
While it’s not secret that salads will be better choices than sandwiches if eating low-calorie is the goal, know that you can customize your sandwiches to bring the calories down! By ordering a chicken pesto flatbread without parmesan cheese, you’re saving yourself 80 calories. All sandwiches can be customized without sauce or cheese, you can add a fresh vegetable, etc.
Healthy Customizations at Tropical Smoothie Cafe
The next time you’re ordering your favorite smoothie from Tropical Smoothie, here are some ways you can tweak the order to create healthier alternatives.
1. Order with a sugar-free sweetener like Splenda: If you’re looking to reduce your sugar intake and overall calories, asking for a sugar-free sweetener like Splenda is a good option. However, it may affect the flavor of the drink as some people find sugar substitutes to taste sweeter than sugar.
2. Order half Turbinado: If you don’t want to replace the sugar with Splenda in your smoothies, you can order half sugar to bring the calories & sugar down. Personally, I enjoy ordering half sugar as it provides the perfect amount of sweetness for my taste buds, since the fruits already act as natural sweeteners.
3. Add protein powder to your smoothie: Protein powder can help make your smoothie more filling, and it will help you hit your daily protein goals. At Tropical Smoothie you have the option to add whey protein or pea protein, so you can adjust a drink for your preferences.
4. Add volume with your add-ins: Adding chia seeds, flaxseed, spinach, kale, or whole grain oats is a great way to make your smoothie even more filling without adding very many extra calories.
5. Bump up the vitamins: At Tropical Smoothie you can add multivitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, and other nutrient-dense add-ins. While these won’t fill you up any more than the regular smoothies, they’ll create healthier options for you overall.
Final Thoughts: Is Tropical Smoothie Healthy?
Overall, smoothies can be a great addition to any healthy diet when they’re made with simple ingredients.
At Tropical Smoothie Cafe specifically, there are several healthy options available including the Detox Island Green Smoothie for low calories and high micronutrients, Peanut Paradise for high protein, Chia Banana Boost Smoothie for high fiber, and Blueberry Bliss Smoothie for low carbs.
Like at any smoothie shop, you can customize any of these drinks to best fit your specific lifestyle. No matter where you choose to order a delicious smoothie from, whether it be Tropical Smoothie, Jamba Juice, or Smoothie King, the drink is always going to be as healthy as you choose to make it.
But overall, smoothies can be a delicious way to get essential nutrients into your diet despite the high sugar content in a lot of the drinks.
You’ll want to be mindful of the overall calories if weight loss is your goal, but as an overall healthy and nutritious meal, Tropical Smoothie definitely gets the job done.
