To Smoothie Bowl or not to Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie bowls, a new health food trend, are everywhere from Instagram to Pinterest. The bowls, which include fruits and vegetables and are convenient, have become very popular. I didn’t know what smoothie bowls were until last year and thought they were parfaits until a friend corrected me, informing me that parfaits are made with yogurt and smoothie bowls are made with smoothies. A smoothie bowl is a bowl made of blended fruits and vegetables with toppings such as granola, dried or sliced fruit and chia seeds. It is different from a regular smoothie because of its thicker consistency. Smoothie bowls are very popular, photogenic and come in different flavor combinations that leave a lot of room for creativity.

“They are a creative remix to the drink-with-a-straw smoothie and can be very colorful,” said Darlyn Szczepanik, a senior dietetics student. “It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or a snack.”

“They are a great healthy breakfast option,” said Katherine Wohlford, a junior dietetics student. Smoothie bowls could have also risen to fame because people are more health-conscious and want to eat foods that are healthy but also look good. An Instagram-worthy bowl of frozen, blended fruits provides just that.

With the rise in popularity of smoothie bowls, a lot of food companies, such as Jamba Juice, have added smoothie bowls to their menus or created food chains that sell smoothie bowls exclusively, like Frutta Bowls and Playa Bowls. These smoothie bowl establishments are supposed to make smoothie bowls easier to access, but are sometimes not very healthy, too sugary and overpriced. Frutta Bowls’ website has very little nutritional information and the cheapest bowls they offer seem to be the Coco Puff Bowl and the Cinnamon Apple Caramel Bowl, both of which cost $6.99. They do have healthier options, like the Bermuda Bowl, which includes organic pitaya, pineapple, almond milk, and bananas and is topped with granola, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, honey and coconut flakes. However, the Bermuda Bowl costs $10.65.

Kuan-Yu Chen, a freshman communications major, said she is unsure of whether smoothie bowls are worth the investment.

“Smoothie bowls are delicious but I don’t know how healthy they are, and they are also pretty expensive; I’d rather just eat a bowl of fruit,” Chen said.

“I wouldn’t say that smoothie bowls aren’t healthy and aren’t healthy alternatives to frozen yogurts and other sweet treats because they can be; it all depends on what you put in them,” Kim Rose, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator located in Florida, said. “For instance, you can add vegetables to the smoothie bowl and one doesn’t necessarily have that option when choosing a frozen yogurt or other sweet treats,” she said.

Smoothie bowls made at home have the potential to be a lot healthier than ones you can purchase. If you make a bowl yourself, you know how much added sugar the bowl contains, the condition the frozen fruits are in and it is usually a lot cheaper.

Laila Abujuma, a senior nutritional science and biology double major, said, “Smoothie bowls can be healthy by not adding sugar, using low glycemic index fruits and portion control.” All you need is some fruits, toppings, and a blender.

Do you like smoothie bowls? What do you put in yours?