Rising temperatures invariably send more students ducking into the nearest ice cream or smoothie shop on campus, ordering frozen combinations of berries, bananas, juice, soy milk, yogurt and vitamin boosts.
Jamba Juice manager Phil Eller said that the public's increasing interest in health, nutrition and dieting has also contributed to an increase in sales over the past six months.
\People come in after working out at the health club, looking to replenish vitamins, or use smoothies as a meal replacement, trying to lose weight,"" Eller said. ""Though in the summer there are more people doing it for dessert or refreshment.""
The smoothie trend began in California fitness clubs and health food stores and restaurants. The founder of Jamba Juice, also from California, was an avid cyclist who needed a healthy and refreshing energizer after his rides. These natural blends of fruit, yogurt and supplements seem to promote a healthy lifestyle for those interested in fitness, healthy eating and vitamin benefits. But are smoothies really as good for you as they claim to be?
Smoothies originated in fitness clubs, and Eller sees many customers ordering protein smoothies after their workouts. Sherry Tanumihardjo, Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences, said smoothies can be beneficial after a workout depending on the intensity of exercise.
""If you're using it to replace glycogen stores after an hour or two of working out, that's fine. But if you're only working out for half and hour, water would be better,"" she said, noting that a smoothie has quite a few more calories.
While some athletes use smoothies to replace calories, other people who are die
