Blending Towards Healthier Lifestyles: The Impact of Regular Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie Consumption on Dietary Patterns and Sustainable Health Behaviors

Purpose: This research aimed to characterize the nutritional, health and basic sustainability practices among regular smoothies’ consumers (RSC; ≥ 1-2 servings/week for ≥ 2 months). Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Self-report online multiple-choice questionnaire survey of random sample of adults from online retailer database and community. Sample: 193 healthy Israeli adults (75.6% females, mean age 40.65 ± 14.36) completed an online multiple-choice validated survey from May 2022 to August 2023. Measures: Demographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle habits, including physical activity, FV consumption, and sustainability practices. Analysis: Data were analyzed using chi-square tests for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney tests for non-normally distributed continuous variables. The level of statistical significance was set at.05. Results: RSC were significantly older (P <.001) and more physically active (P =.025) than occasional smoothie consumers (OSC). They consumed more FV, reaching nutritional recommendations, and exhibited significant lifestyle changes, including reduced meat (P =.013) and processed food consumption (P =.013), and regular meal consumption (P =.045). RSC used fewer disposables (P =.002) compared to OSC and non-smoothie consumers (P =.001). RSC demonstrated a higher incidence of weight reduction compared to weight gain. Conclusion: RSC is significantly associated with health and nutritional sustainability.