Should we compare smoothies and doughnuts?

To understand the impact of this misleading comparison, let's examine the questions it gets us to focus on as we process it, and those it overlooks. By identifying these questions, we can better recognise patterns of misleading nutritional information online.

What gets our focus

→ “What foods should I avoid?”

Tonic Health’s comparison is based on sugar content only, and looks at an entire bottle of smoothie, containing over 82g of sugar. The question consumers are led to focus on as they process this comparison is: what foods should I avoid to be healthy? The claim that 19 doughnuts contain as much sugar as that smoothie bottle suggests that we can add green smoothies to the “banned list” (or perhaps to the “list of foods I was wrong about”).

‍

What gets missed out

→ "In what context am I eating this food?"

The doughnut comparison can easily trigger or amplify feelings of guilt related to food. Crucially, it overlooks a very important question which we can ask ourselves when we see claims on social media that a food item is good/bad, healthy or unhealthy: in what context am I eating this food?If we apply it here, it becomes immediately apparent that drinking an entire bottle of smoothie in one sitting is highly unlikely - indeed the label specifies that one bottle contains 5 (150ml) servings. Yet this is exactly what gets compared with the ‘shocking’ amount of 19 doughnuts.

Other questions to add context are: what (am I eating this food) with? This is important, because while a diet that is high in sugar can have negative health consequences, an occasional glass of smoothie (in the context of a healthy diet) paints a different picture. By asking “what am I eating this with?”, the overall diet gets brought to the foreground, rather than single food items. This might seem like common sense, and some might wonder if a single video really warrants this kind of discussion. One video is unlikely to change your mindset. But the point is that as we get increasingly exposed to similar content, these questions can shape our habits and influence our mindset on nutrition. And that can have a lot more impact.

In some cases, asking “what am I eating this food instead of?” can also remind us to use nutritional labels as a tool to compare food items, helping consumers to choose one product over another - but this is implying that the products are in a similar category. The issue here is that smoothies and doughnuts aren’t comparable in a meaningful way.

‍

→ "What does this food add to my diet?"

Smoothies can sometimes help us reach our ‘5-a-day’ target. That being said, guidelines indicate that only 1 serving of smoothie or fruit juice should count towards that target, regardless of how many fruits are in that smoothie. This is because when fruits get blended, natural sugars get released and become “free sugars,” which we are advised to limit. But this doesn’t mean they need to be altogether banned.

This is where the question “what does this food add to my diet?” can be helpful. Yes, fruits and smoothies contain sugar, but what else do they bring to the table? Smoothies can increase intake of dietary fibre, which isn’t affected by blending. The smoothie profiled in Tonic Health’s video also contains vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, C and E), as well as anti-oxidants. Doughnuts, on the other hand, have a very different health profile. Beyond their sugar content, they are high in fat and saturated fat, which is recommended to be consumed in limited amounts, and a single doughnut contributes to 10 % of daily energy needs. Let’s not go into how many calories 19 doughnuts would add up to… While doughnuts add little in terms of nutritional value, they can provide contentment. This should not be entirely dismissed, because it is also important to maintain a healthy relationship with food - something which guilt can quickly get in the way of.

Final Thoughts

A fallacy often presents itself as a plausible argument, as something which sounds like it should be right. Most of the time, however, it is based on faulty reasoning and isn’t supported by evidence. In this case, Dr. Idz adds that “all carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars anyway,” highlighting that simplistic comparisons can be quite unhelpful as they can distort one’s understanding of nutrition. That is why spotting these patterns on social media matters. Our food choices directly impact our health, and they should be based upon evidence.

False equivalences are popular on social media, but what are their effects? In the short-term, they tend to cause confusion, even if they are generally oversimplified. Think about a bottle of Innocent Smoothie with a label: no added sugar. And then hearing that that same bottle is worth 19 doughnuts in sugar.

But more importantly, they tend to be unwarranted. Another example might be to compare cats and leopards on the basis that they are both felines. But you would never compare them in a discussion about what pets to get in your house. Unwarranted comparisons don’t just generate clicks and view; they can have long-term effects on how we think about nutrition.

1. They can lead to unnecessary guilt

When you start believing that all sugar is bad, you might feel guilty for enjoying a fruit smoothie or a piece of dark chocolate. This turns eating into a stressful experience instead of an enjoyable one. The truth is, no single food makes or breaks your health—what matters most is your overall diet.

2. They Promote an Imbalanced View of Nutrition

When you focus on one food being “bad,” you might start avoiding entire food groups without understanding their full nutritional value. Instead of obsessing over individual foods, it’s more important to focus on balance and variety in your diet. This mindset shift doesn’t only affect psychology. Research has shown that “mindset meaningfully affects physiological responses to food” (Crum et al., 2011). This study showed that levels of what we know as the hunger hormone (grehlin) went down a lot more when participants thought they had consumed an ‘indulgent’ milkshake (high calorie, high fat), than when they thought they had consumed a ‘sensible’ shake (low fat). In other words, how we think about food can have a very real impact on hunger regulation, and on our overall diet.

3. They Might Encourage Restrictive Diets

These oversimplified messages can fuel extreme, restrictive diets. Whether it’s cutting out all fats or avoiding carbs entirely, these trends distort what a healthy diet really looks like and could lead to nutrient deficiencies. Dr Rajan Karan is an NHS surgeon who is passionate about correcting medical misinformation. As reported by The Daily Express, he says on the subject of restrictive diets that he is “not a fan,” because “obsessing over what you eat can become a preoccupation and lead to a cycle of even more restriction, plus stress and anxiety.” Beyond the psychological aspect of restriction, he adds that “by cutting out a whole food group, you’re going to be missing out on crucial nutrients."

‍

We have contacted Tonic Health for comments and are awaiting a response.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. It reflects the views and analysis of the author based on available evidence at the time of writing. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, readers are advised to consult with healthcare professionals for specific advice related to their dietary needs. This article critiques claims made in publicly available social media content and does not intend to defame or misrepresent any individual or brand. References to external sources are provided for context, and no affiliation or endorsement is implied.