The 8 Healthiest Menu Items at Tropical Smoothie—and 4 To Skip

Smoothies can be a great way to boost fiber and produce in your diet and even get a hearty dose of protein and healthy fats. Unfortunately, not all smoothies are created equally, and you may be surprised to learn how much added sugar is in your favorite fast-food smoothie. While fruit is packed with natural sugar, the sugar that is added to smoothies to enhance their sweetness is considered a less healthy form. In fact, too much added sugar in your diet may increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

When making a smoothie at home, it is easy to skip the sweetener and rely only on the natural sweetness from the fruit. However, when you visit a smoothie shop, you may have to explicitly ask for no added sweeteners to limit the added sugar in your smoothie. Luckily, Tropical Smoothie offers more than just smoothies, and it has an array of healthy menu options. Additionally, you can modify less healthy menu selections to improve their nutrition profile.

If you are headed to Tropical Smoothie with the goal of a healthy meal, here are some of our top picks.

How We Chose the Healthiest Tropical Smoothie Orders

• High in fiber: The more fiber an order provides, the better. Fiber helps to offset the amount of carbohydrates your body absorbs, and it provides its own physiological benefits, like improved satiety and digestive regularity. We only chose options that provide fiber and gave extra shout-outs to the options with exceptionally high amounts of this important nutrient.
• Lower in added sugar: Although it isn't easy to see exactly how much added sugar is in each product at Tropical Smoothie, we tried to choose options that appeared to have the least added sugar and could easily be modified to reduce added sugar. While you can safely consume moderate amounts of this nutrient, you should limit your intake as much as possible.
• Has protein: Orders that include adequate amounts of protein were considered for our list. This filling nutrient helps you feel more satisfied, and also aids in muscle health as well as many other physiological functions. While there are a few options on our best list that don't have enough protein, we provided easy solutions to increase this nutrient in your meal.

Read on to learn the 8 healthiest Tropical Smoothie menu items and 4 to skip. Read on, then check out The 8 Healthiest Fast-Food Smoothies.

The 8 Healthiest Tropical Smoothie Orders

Bowls

Best: Mixed Berry Greek Yogurt

Although the Mixed Berry Greek Yogurt Bowl may provide more calories than some need in a sitting, it provides a great amount of protein and fiber. To reduce calories, you can skip the honey drizzle, which will also cut sugar and carbs. You can also skip some or all of the granola to save more calories, carbohydrates, and added sugar.

Best: Bahama Mama Bowl

The Bahama Mama Bowl offers the lowest calorie count among the bowls and also provides an impressive 16 grams of fiber. Unfortunately, it only comes with 3 grams of protein, so consider adding a serving of whey protein powder for 16 grams of protein. You can also skip the honey here for some sugar savings.

Smoothies

Best: Detox Island Green

At just 190 calories, the Detox Island Green Smoothie is the lowest calorie smoothie option on the menu. It may not provide enough protein, but that can be easily remedied with a serving of whey or pea protein. You'll get enough fiber to satisfy your needs for a meal with minimal added sugar. You can even add additional fruit or veggie for an even more nutritious smoothie.

Best: Island Green

Simply made with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, and banana, this smoothie is another good option if you are looking for a drink on the Tropical Smoothie menu. It does have a high carb count, although you'll get some decent fiber with it. Add chia seeds for an additional 3 grams of fiber, and a protein powder to make this smoothie a complete meal. You could also skip one of the fruits to bring the total carb count down.

Food

Best: Spinach Feta & Pesto Wrap

If you are interested in eggs for breakfast, this wrap may be your best bet at Tropical Smoothie. A simple wrap with eggs, spinach, cheese, roasted bell peppers, and pesto makes this a flavorful and nutritious option. It only has two grams of fiber, which isn't enough for a meal, but you can boost this number by asking for additional veggies. The 17 grams of protein will be sure to make this a satisfying option.

Best: Thai Chicken Salad

Salads are often amongst the healthiest orders at restaurants, and this holds true for the Thai Chicken Salad on the Tropical Smoothie menu. At under 400 calories, it can work in a wide range of calorie needs and provides a filling 23 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. It is low in saturated fat, and you can skip the wontons to save on total fat, carb, and calories. Go light on the dressing to save even more calories and fat grams.

Best: Turkey & Cheddar Wrap

Although this wrap option is on the kid's menu, it can be a great option for adults, too. It provides enough calories, protein, and fat to satisfy a meal and can be paired with fruit or veggies to incorporate fiber. Choose an apple or banana as your side to bring in a few grams of fiber, and add mustard to increase flavor for very few calories.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Best: Chicken Pesto Flatbread

This Chicken Pesto Flatbread may not seem like a healthy choice at first glance, but this option packs lean protein from chicken, healthy fats from pesto, and a reasonable number of calories. Add fruit of veggie on the side for a boost of fiber and more food volume, or enjoy on its own as a complete meal. Skip one of the cheeses to drop calories and fat grams, and request extra veggies for an even healthier option.

The 4 Unhealthiest Tropical Smoothie Orders

Worst: Mocha Madness

Not only does the Mocha Madness Smoothie have the highest carb count in the smoothie section of the Tropical Smoothie menu, but it also packs the second-highest sugar count. Unfortunately, these carb numbers only come along with 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein, which doesn't make this a very filling option. You can skip the sugar to save about 240 calories or swap it for Splenda for another carb-saving option. However, as-is, this option is better left skipped.

Worst: Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Although this order provides plenty of protein and a relatively low saturated fat count, it packs an entire day's worth of sodium and has the lowest fiber count on the wrap menu. To improve this option, ask for the buffalo sauce on the side and use sparingly. This will cut calories, fat grams, and sodium. You can also skip the lite ranch dressing for more sodium savings, and request extra veggies for a small fiber boost.

Worst: Pomegranate Plunge

Another smoothie with a sky-high carb count and minimal fiber, the Pomegranate Plunge also contains only 1 gram of fiber. This isn't anywhere near enough to satisfy your protein needs at a snack, let alone a meal. You could add protein powder to solve this problem; however, you'll still be left with 115 grams of sugar. Skip the turbinado sugar for carb savings, and add spinach and kale to your smoothie for a little fiber for not very many calories.

Worst: Chia Oatmeal Pudding Bowl

The highlights of this bowl are its 10 grams of fiber and 14 grams of protein. However, the rest of its nutrition metrics are less impressive. The Chia Oatmeal Pudding Bowl has the highest carb count of all the bowls on the Tropical Smoothie menu, as well as the highest saturated fat content. It also contains a day's worth of sugar. Skip the honey and granola to reduce the sugar content without sacrificing much fiber, and you have a slightly healthier option.