The basic smoothie - fruit, yogurt and ice whirled in a blender - has been popular on the West Coast since the ’70s. Smoothies became a fixture at health clubs and juice bars during the last decade, and now smoothie bars are starting to pop up. ““People look at smoothies as a meal replacement,’’ says Isenberg. ““They’re quick, and they’re perceived as healthy.’’ When they’re made with fat-free yogurt and fresh fruit, smoothies are healthful, but they can deliver up to 500 calories.
In March smoothies became a full-fledged trend when Baskin-Robbins introduced six flavors of them in its 2,600 stores. Made with fruit, frozen yogurt and a Tang-like substance the company calls ““fruit splash,’’ Baskin-Robbins’s smoothies taste unsettlingly like cough drops. Smoothie lovers, haul out those blenders! If this trend continues, you’re going to need them.
