Health franchise Robeks Corporation, a premium retail juice franchising company, today announced the results of a study which compared the nutritional content of a Robeks fruit smoothie to four other meal options. The study found the Robeks smoothie offered the nutritional benefits of an ideal meal.
The study compared the nutritional value of five meal options, running them through a variety of tests to discover each meal’s breakdown of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fibre, sugar and protein. To follow is a chart which maps out each meal’s individual statistics as well as the percentage of Daily Recommended Value (DRV) for each component.
At 390 calories, the Robeks smoothie provided the second lowest number of calories of the “on-the-go” meal options. It also provided the lowest amount of fat (2g), the second highest amount of protein (13g) and the lowest amount of sodium (50 mg).
“A fresh, fruit smoothie is often an overlooked choice when it comes to ‘on the run’ meals,” said Dr. Edward M. Lieskovan, Pharm. D., MBA, Nutritional Consultant for Robeks Corporation and the conductor of this study. “However, compared to the other meal choices that we studied, which are more traditional, ‘quick pick up’ choices, the smoothie surpassed the other options in the amount of essential vitamins, daily fruit intake and overall health benefits that it supplied.”
The Robeks smoothie was supplemented with fibre and soy protein “boosts” that contributed to its healthy outcome. Each Robeks smoothie comes with one free boost. Adding these boosts greatly raised the nutritional content.
“We chose to add fibre to the Robeks smoothie as most Americans are getting only 12-15 grams per day, instead of the 25 grams recommended,” continued Dr. Lieskovan. “Fibre promotes gastrointestinal health (digestive system) and contributes greatly to cardiovascular health by helping to keep cholesterol levels in check.
“The Robeks smoothie provided 26% of the DRV of protein. Protein is digested more slowly than most carbohydrates and it helps to provide energy over a longer period of time,” Dr. Lieskovan continued. “Foods with higher protein levels will help suppress the appetite, causing you to feel satisfied longer.
“A smoothie which contains protein and fibre will have strong appetite suppressant effect, similar to a ‘real, ideal meal,'” continued Dr. Liesvokan. “Individuals who consume this type of smoothie can expect their appetite to be suppressed for 3-5 hours.”
According to the FDA, the nutrients contained in fruits and vegetables help to reduce the incidence of cancer, heart disease and many chronic illnesses. The current recommended intake of fruits is 2 cups per day for adult men and 1 1/2 – 2 cups per day for adult women. Because fruits and vegetables are our primary source of antioxidants, phytonutrients (natural plant nutrients), vitamins, minerals and fibre, most adults are not getting enough of these valuable health-promoting nutrients.
“Very few Americans consume the recommended servings of fruit on a consistent daily basis,” Dr. Lieskovan continued. “A 24 oz. Robeks Banzai Blueberry smoothie contains 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup strawberries and 1 1/2 cups orange juice, offering a total of 2 1/2 cups of fruit or 125% of the total recommended daily intake of fruit in one very delicious and very convenient, healthy meal.”
It may be interesting to some that the Robeks smoothie provides the highest amount of sugar of the five meal options. However, since no processed sugar was added to the Robeks smoothie, the sugar comes entirely from natural fruit sugar, or fructose.
Fructose, unlike processed sugar, is digested and absorbed very slowly, and does not cause the high blood sugar / low blood sugar cycle associated with processed sugar. In addition, fructose consumption — though a source of calories — does not typically lead to low blood sugar levels and the uncontrollable appetite that is seen with processed sugar.
Dr. Edward M. Lieskovan, Pharm. D., MBA is a Nutritional Consultant for Robeks Corporation. His education is in the traditional pharmaceutical field, with the majority of his 25 years of professional scientific experience is in the area of nutrition and wellness. In addition, Dr. Lieskovan presently serves as the President and CEO of Performance Research Laboratories, Inc, and serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Southern California’s School of Pharmacy. His full biography is available upon request.
Since opening the first Robeks Juice store in 1996, the Company has always been passionate about promoting the importance of good nutrition and its essential role in helping people maintain active and healthy lifestyles. Robeks’ goal is to make eating a healthy meal both quick and easy by offering a great-tasting selection of premium quality, made-to-order fruit smoothies and freshly squeezed vegetable juices, as well as wholesome sandwiches, wraps, salads and healthy snacks.
Currently there are 92 Robeks locations with many more on the way. In addition, Robeks was named one of the top ten new franchises for 2006 by Entrepreneur® in their 27th Annual Franchise 500®.
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