by Kerry O’Connor

Freshens has made a name for itself with its wide variety of popular smoothies. Located in the Courtside Café at the UMass recreational center, their 18 smoothie options fall into four categories: Blended Fruit Classics, Low Calorie No Sugar Added, High Protein, and Rainforest Energy. But to get more than just fresh, fruity delight out of your smoothie, consider these tips and suggestions before placing your order.

Pre-Workout

Fitness Magazine recommends keeping it light and simple when choosing a pre-workout smoothie. Mango smoothies are a good option before working out. They help with digestion along with providing essential vitamins to fuel your workout. Try to avoid smoothies with sherbet because they are higher in calories. For more information, click the link here.

Try:

Mango Beach (80 calories) – mango, peaches, passion fruit, juice blend & booster (sugar -free).

Maui Mango (260 calories) – mango, strawberries, bananas, passion fruit, juice blend & booster.

Peach Sunset (230 calories) – peaches, bananas, strawberries, juice blend & booster.

The sugar-free smoothies use the “all-natural” sweetener Truvia in place of sugar. Truvia is a zero calorie sweetener that comes from the stevia plant. The Freshens ingredients state, “No sugar added smoothies Strawberry Oasis, Peach Breeze and Mango Beach contain 38 grams of sugar alcohol.”

Be Careful Of:

Citrus Mango (390 calories) – orange juice & sherbet, mango, pineapple, kiwi, coconut & booster.

Tropical Pineapple (380 calories) – pineapple, kiwi, coconut, juice blend & booster.

Post-Workout:

Fitness Magazine also recommends smoothies with higher protein and carbs for post-workout smoothies. Although there is a “High Protein” category on the Freshens menu, keep in mind what type of workout you just had when choosing your smoothie. So before you pick up your protein-packed peanut butter smoothie, check out these recommendations from Wellandgoodnyc.

TRX/Strength training

Caribbean Craze (260 calories) – strawberries, bananas, juice blend & booster.

This low-calorie smoothie provides electrolytes from the bananas while the strawberries are full in fiber to keep you feeling full for longer. The strawberries provide a small amount of protein so you can avoid the extra calories from peanut butter.

Indoor cycling/ Long run

Peanut Butter Protein (460 calories) – fat free yogurt, peanut butter, banana, chocolate syrup and MET-Rx protein.

This is Freshens highest calorie smoothie but after intense cardio, the body needs major replenishment. TIP: Substitute out the peanut butter for a splash of your iced coffee. This will reduce the calories while the caffeine from your iced coffee will help boost your metabolism.

Dance Cardio or Yoga

Stick to the “Low Calorie No Sugar Added” section of the menu. After sweating it out, your body needs to re-hydrate and these smoothies are high in fluid but low in calories.

Strawberry Oasis (70 calories) – strawberries, juice blend and booster.

What is in the boosters?

If you’ve been to the Courtside Café, you’ve probably heard the Freshens employees yell out something like, “Three with protein!” or “Ten with green tea!” Well, you can add one “MET-Rx booster” to your smoothie at no added cost. But what are these mysterious boosters exactly?

Protein- This booster adds 8 grams of protein and 35 calories to your smoothie.

Mega Energy ™ – This energy booster adds Vitamin B to help boost your metabolism along with caffeine.

Xtreme Lean- Combination of caffeine, green tea, vitamin C and grapefruit seed extract. This booster is zero calories and is designed to “enhance your energy levels and give your body and mind a boost.”

Focus ™- This booster is designed to provide “a boost of energy to the mind supporting mental alertness so you can concentrate on whatever life throws your way.”

Green Tea- A booster of green tea extract provides the antioxidants found in a cup of green tea. Green tea is proven to support heart health and boost metabolism.

One last thing to keep in mind as you peruse the Freshens menu is choosing either a juice blend or yogurt to use in smoothies. The juice blend is mainly a juice concentrate including apple and grape juice and the yogurt is dairy-based, a yogurt and milk mix. So think a little before you step up to the counter and order your usual, what does your body need from a smoothie today?

Kerry O’Connor can be reached via email at [email protected]