What should go in a kid's smoothie?

Milk or plain yogurt, one fruit, a handful of spinach, no added sugar and no powder. The US guidelines say to avoid added sugar for young children altogether. Half a cup of milk, half a banana, half a cup of frozen strawberries and a cup of spinach is 147 calories, with none of its sugar added.

A smoothie looks like the perfect way to get fruit and greens into a child, and it is. The trouble starts when it doesn’t taste sweet enough the first time, so in goes a spoon of honey or a splash of juice, and the green drink becomes a dessert. Some parents add protein powder too, to help a picky eater grow.

Think of it as a kid’s portion at a restaurant. It’s the same real food as yours, in a smaller glass, minus the sweetener.

The kid’s glass

A+

No added sugar A+

147 calories, 17 g sugar from the fruit and milk

or

The same, plus a spoon of honey

C+

17 g added C+

211 calories, 17 g of it added sugar

What do the guidelines say about sugar for kids?

The 2025 to 2030 US guidelines say to “avoid added sugars during infancy and early childhood,” which they define as birth to 4 years. For ages 5 to 10, “no amount of added sugars is recommended.” Honey and fruit juice concentrate count as added sugar. The sugar in whole fruit and plain milk doesn’t.

There’s a second reason to skip honey for the youngest. The CDC says “do not feed honey to a child who is younger than 1 year old,” because honey can carry the bacteria that cause botulism.

Is juice OK in a kid’s smoothie?

We’d leave it out. The American Academy of Pediatrics says no juice before age 1 and 4 to 6 oz a day at most from ages 1 to 6, with 4 oz the top for toddlers aged 1 to 3. It says whole fruit is better than juice, and a smoothie already has the whole fruit in it. A cup of juice in the blender would use up more than a day’s allowance in one glass.

Should kids have protein powder?

No. A child eating normal meals gets protein from milk, yogurt, eggs and the rest of the day, and a powder adds nothing a cup of milk can’t. Consumer Reports’ 2025 tests also found more than two thirds of 23 powders and shakes carried more lead in a serving than its cautious daily level, and advised against daily use of most powders, even for adults.

What’s in the kid’s glass?

For an older or hungrier child, double the milk and add a spoon of plain yogurt. The builder has a kid setting that counts any added sugar against the Glucose meter, and its verdict for this glass is The Good Kid’s Glass.

This page follows the 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy on fruit juice, the CDC’s advice on honey and infant botulism, and USDA food data, all checked on November 14, 2026. It’s general information about food, not medical advice. If your child has a food allergy, a medical condition or trouble growing, ask their pediatrician.