Being a Nutritionist, I get asked all the time what my opinion is of Booster Juice. To tell you the truth, I have never been there (well until a few days ago). I always just assumed that Booster-JuiceBooster Juice just made super sugary drinks, filled with way too much fruit (yes, it is possible to eat too much fruit), fruit juice and poor quality whey protein, but that most people thought they were “healthy” because they were called “smoothies”.

So the other day I had some time to kill, and I decided it was my nutritional duty to go and do my research. Luckily, the store wasn’t busy and the girls working there were more than happy to answer all of my bizarre questions and show me the labels of all of their products.

There is a lot of variety in smoothies that you can purchase. Booster Juice starts their smoothies with some fruit juice as a base, and then they add fruit, a protein powder, frozen yogurt or sorbet, and if desired a “booster” such as rosehip, Echinacea, goldenseal, matcha, etc.

In general, Booster Juice’s smoothies are very high in sugar. Although fruit is a healthy option, it still has a lot of sugar, and too much sugar is always a bad thing.

The whey protein they use is a mixture of concentrate and isolate which can be potentially allergenic. Unfortunately, their vanilla soy milk is not organic meaning it is most likely genetically modified, however, the chocolate soy milk is organic so it’s a better option.

Smoothies aren’t the only thing that Booster Juice serves. I didn’t know this but they also have fresh juices and wheat grass shots, which made me sooooo excited!!

I decided to get the Tru-Green juice which is a mixture of spinach, parsley, celery and carrots. The verdict: it was alright. I make fresh juices at home using organic produce so I can definitely tell the difference between organic and non-organic. Next time I’ll get the wheat grass!
Overall, I was actually impressed with Booster Juice. It is a lot healthier than I thought it would be (the fresh juices and wheat grass shots definitely helped me make that decision). I would recommend Booster Juice over pretty much every other fast food restaurant out there, if you are in need of something quick.

Some ways to make your Booster Juice smoothie healthier:
• Ask for water instead of juice to cut down on sugar
• Get the frozen yogurt instead of the sorbet
• Bring your own protein powder if you have an allergy or sensitivity to dairy or soy, they are very good at customizing your beverage.