Eat It to Beat It: Swaps to Reduce Calories in Smoothies, Frothy Drinks

— -- It’s summer, and when it gets warm outside many people look for healthy ways to cool down. Smoothies may come to mind, but although they may seem like a healthy choice, some could be chock-full of sugar.

David Zinczenko, ABC News Nutrition and Wellness editor and the author of the book “Eat It to Beat It!,” appeared on “Good Morning America” today to offer ways to reduce the calories and sugar in three drinks.

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EXCERPT: 'Eat It to Beat It' by David Zinczenko, Plus Skirt Steak Recipe

The Drinks

BEAT IT: Peanut Power Plus Chocolate from Smoothie King’s Fitness Blends menu. It contains 1,047 calories and 94.5 grams of sugar.

EAT IT: Consider the Smoothie King’s Almond Mocha as an alternative. It’s also from the chain’s Fitness Blends menu, and contains 345 calories and 37 grams of sugar. It’s also a downsize at 22 ounces versus the Peanut Power’s 32 ounces. Choosing this over the Peanut Power will save you 702 calories and 57.5 grams of sugars.

BEAT IT: Kiwi Quencher from Tropical Smoothie Café’s low-fat smoothies menu. It contains 430 calories and 100 grams of sugar. Kiwi is considered a high-sugar fruit, but the non-fat yogurt concentrate also has plenty of sugar. This drink has 100 grams of sugar, which is the same amount of sugar that you'd have if you ate 21.4 Oreos.

EAT IT: The better choice is the 12-ounce Jetty Junior from the chain’s children’s menu. It contains 170 calories and 36 grams of sugar. The only drinks on the menu with fewer than 67 grams of sugar (not including the options which include the artificial sweetener, Splenda) are on the children’s menu. This option saves you 260 calories and 65 grams of sugar.

BEAT IT: Dairy Queen’s large Tripleberry Julius Original is not a smoothie; the company calls it a frothy, fruit-blended beverage. Composed of strawberries and purees of raspberries and blackberries, the drink contains 710 calories and 142 grams of sugar. Sugar shows up on the ingredients list eight times – along with hydrogenated oil. This drink has the sugar equivalent of nearly 11 apple pies from McDonald’s.

EAT IT: A better choice would be the medium Strawberry Banana light smoothie, with 200 calories and 42 grams of sugar. Compared with the Tripleberry Julius Original, this drink would save you 510 calories and 100 grams of sugar.

The three Eat It alternatives combined will save you 1,472 calories and 222.5 grams of sugar.

Some of these establishments have lower calorie versions of these drinks.

Zinczenko also offered three rules that people can use to make simple smoothie swaps to save themselves calories.

Rule 1. Downsize. A bigger cup means more room for calories, and downsizing is the easiest way to minimize damage.

Rule 2: Don’t consume drinks that have more than 55 grams of sugar.

Rule 3: No spoons. A smoothie is something you drink. If you need a spoon to eat it, it’s dessert.

Statements From the Chains

American Dairy Queen Corporation, Dean A. Peters, Associate Vice President of Communications

“We have been serving our delicious Orange Julius® original drinks and premium fruit smoothies, made with only real fruit, for nearly 90 years.

Our Orange Julius Premium Fruit Smoothies are fresh-blended to order with real fruit and low-fat yogurt. Orange Julius Premium Light Fruit Smoothies are 170 calories or less in a small size, contain no artificial sweeteners or flavors and are yogurt-free. No other quick-service restaurant chain offers a light smoothie.”We offer our fans choice, variety and convenience whether they want to enjoy a better for you snack, meal replacement or a treat any time of day.”

Smoothie King, Katherine LeBlanc Manager, Marketing and Communications

At Smoothie King, all of our smoothies are created with a purpose. Our Peanut Power Plus Chocolate is a post-workout Smoothie with a 4 to 1 ratio of carbs to protein, which science shows is the optimal ratio for muscle recovery and to replenish your tank. Almond Mocha High Protein’s healthy fats and protein keep us full longer and with the caffeine boost from the coffee make it a great meal replacement for breakfast or lunch especially when you Make It Skinny.Our menu has a smoothie for every purpose. We’ve recently introduced some new smoothies to our menu to fuel a broader audiences’ purpose. Our Veggie Blends offer guests fruit, veggies and fruit juice blended together. Getting your greens never tasted so good! Greek Yogurt Smoothies offered with Chobani® Greek Yogurt help guests find their balance with 11g of protein, 4g of fiber.

Tropical Smoothie Café, Mary Hedge, Account Executive

Tropical Smoothie Café is committed to supporting a healthier lifestyle and provides options to customize smoothies to fit our customers' dietary needs. Our menu includes a robust line of smoothies with superfood ingredients that are packed with large doses of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Our most popular Superfood Smoothie is the Island Green which is comprised of five fresh fruits and vegetables. This product is our number one selling menu item and is most commonly ordered without turbinado bringing this nutritious and delicious smoothie under 200 calories (see info below). In addition, we continue to focus on developing new great-tasting products that deliver on our brand’s commitment to Eat Better. Feel Better. Our Perfectly Green smoothie promotion will launch in-cafés on 6/30, introducing the new Totally Green smoothie paired with our fan favorite, Island Green. The Totally Green Smoothie consists of six all-green ingredients kiwi, celery, kale, spinach, cucumber and green apple).

Dave Zinczenko, ABC News Nutrition & Wellness Editor, is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His latest book, "Eat It to Beat It!" Is full of food swaps, meal plans and the latest food controversies - sign up for his free newsletter .