Disclosure:
I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review. I am not affiliated with the company that manufactures and distributes this product. I paid for this product with my own funds. This review reflects my own experience with and opinion of the product as a consumer.
Let me say right away that although I enjoy occasional eating at fast food restaurants, I am not a strong proponent of overindulging fast food. With that said, I felt inspired to write this review after I visited a McDonald’s restaurant recently. While I was there, I decided to order a small, 12 fl oz. McDonald's McCafe Strawberry Banana Smoothie for $2.59, plus tax.
Prior to this last visit, it has been months since I had a McCafe Strawberry Banana Smoothie. My experience is that they are fairly good as far as taste goes. They are made with“real fruit”, namely strawberries, banana, low fat yogurt, ice, and some of other ingredients. You can definitely tell that the ingredients are not fresh, but rather come from a prepared, frozen blend. The servers “make” the smoothie in a matter of minutes. Quite honestly, since the smoothie is offered up by a fast food restaurant, I don’t expect the ingredients to be fresh.
Here’s a more comprehensive list of ingredients in the McCafe Strawberry Banana smoothie:
Strawberry puree, banana puree, water, grape juice concentrate, clarified demineralized pineapple juice concentrate, sugar, contains less than 1% of the following: natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, cellulose powder, pear juice concentrate, peach juice concentrate, xanthan gum, citric acid, pectin, colored with fruit and vegetable juice, ascorbic acid concentrate, also contains milk
Additional nutrition info:
Serving size is 12 fl. Oz.
210 Calories
2 g protein
0.5g Fat
49 g Carbohydrate
35 mg Sodium
The smoothie itself is creamy and smooth with a balanced sweetness. I don’t feel that it is overly sweet. The concentration of neither fruit flavor is consistent from batch to batch. Sometimes the banana is the dominating flavor in the drink and other times I taste the strawberry flavor more.
I have had several McCafe Strawberry Smoothies since McDonald’s first introduced this drink. In the past, I would visit McDonald’s many times a week to get one of these. I used to think that they were all that and a bag of chips. That was before I purchased a Ninja blender and started to make my own smoothies. There is a vast difference in the taste of homemade smoothies, prepared with fresh fruit vs. a McDonald’s McCafe smoothie.
Now that I have experienced the taste of a real homemade smoothie, I think that McDonald’s McCafe smoothies are watered down. The concentration of the banana and strawberries is not great. It seems that there is more yogurt than any other ingredient in this smoothie. Now, don’t get me wrong: I am not saying that McCafe smoothies are bad. I am saying that they are tasty, but in a run-of-the mill way.
Therefore, I have mixed emotions about this product. On the one hand, I think they are okay if you are looking for quick treat. They are also convenient if you’re too lazy or don’t have the wherewithal to make a smoothie from scratch. They are affordable and palatable. McCafe smoothies may be better in a nutritional sense, than drinking soda or artificial juice drinks.
In the same breath, you would do well, to go ahead and make your own smoothie. In this way you are getting the freshest of ingredients and loads of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Once fruits and vegetables are processed, the vitamins begin to degrade in them. That’s one reason why smoothies with fresh fruits are best.
In closing, the McDonald’s McCafe Strawberry Banana smoothie is a mediocre drink. In my opinion, they aren’t health drinks per se or even real smoothies. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend them, unless you are drinking them mainly for the taste and convenience.
Sources:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/product_nutrition.mccafe.488.strawberry-banana-smoothie-12-fl-oz-cup.html
© Copyright 2012 www.thewhimsicalmusingsofsusan.com
I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review. I am not affiliated with the company that manufactures and distributes this product. I paid for this product with my own funds. This review reflects my own experience with and opinion of the product as a consumer.
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| McDonald's McCafe Stawberry Banana Smoothie |
Prior to this last visit, it has been months since I had a McCafe Strawberry Banana Smoothie. My experience is that they are fairly good as far as taste goes. They are made with“real fruit”, namely strawberries, banana, low fat yogurt, ice, and some of other ingredients. You can definitely tell that the ingredients are not fresh, but rather come from a prepared, frozen blend. The servers “make” the smoothie in a matter of minutes. Quite honestly, since the smoothie is offered up by a fast food restaurant, I don’t expect the ingredients to be fresh.
Here’s a more comprehensive list of ingredients in the McCafe Strawberry Banana smoothie:
Strawberry puree, banana puree, water, grape juice concentrate, clarified demineralized pineapple juice concentrate, sugar, contains less than 1% of the following: natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, cellulose powder, pear juice concentrate, peach juice concentrate, xanthan gum, citric acid, pectin, colored with fruit and vegetable juice, ascorbic acid concentrate, also contains milk
Additional nutrition info:
Serving size is 12 fl. Oz.
210 Calories
2 g protein
0.5g Fat
49 g Carbohydrate
35 mg Sodium
The smoothie itself is creamy and smooth with a balanced sweetness. I don’t feel that it is overly sweet. The concentration of neither fruit flavor is consistent from batch to batch. Sometimes the banana is the dominating flavor in the drink and other times I taste the strawberry flavor more.
I have had several McCafe Strawberry Smoothies since McDonald’s first introduced this drink. In the past, I would visit McDonald’s many times a week to get one of these. I used to think that they were all that and a bag of chips. That was before I purchased a Ninja blender and started to make my own smoothies. There is a vast difference in the taste of homemade smoothies, prepared with fresh fruit vs. a McDonald’s McCafe smoothie.
Now that I have experienced the taste of a real homemade smoothie, I think that McDonald’s McCafe smoothies are watered down. The concentration of the banana and strawberries is not great. It seems that there is more yogurt than any other ingredient in this smoothie. Now, don’t get me wrong: I am not saying that McCafe smoothies are bad. I am saying that they are tasty, but in a run-of-the mill way.
Therefore, I have mixed emotions about this product. On the one hand, I think they are okay if you are looking for quick treat. They are also convenient if you’re too lazy or don’t have the wherewithal to make a smoothie from scratch. They are affordable and palatable. McCafe smoothies may be better in a nutritional sense, than drinking soda or artificial juice drinks.
In the same breath, you would do well, to go ahead and make your own smoothie. In this way you are getting the freshest of ingredients and loads of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Once fruits and vegetables are processed, the vitamins begin to degrade in them. That’s one reason why smoothies with fresh fruits are best.
In closing, the McDonald’s McCafe Strawberry Banana smoothie is a mediocre drink. In my opinion, they aren’t health drinks per se or even real smoothies. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend them, unless you are drinking them mainly for the taste and convenience.
Sources:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/product_nutrition.mccafe.488.strawberry-banana-smoothie-12-fl-oz-cup.html
© Copyright 2012 www.thewhimsicalmusingsofsusan.com
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