It is a special day for senior Shana Hudson, it is the day she is purchasing Jamba Juice. Hudson sets aside one day each week to treat herself to a Jamba Juice smoothie from á la carte. “The Peach Pizazz is the only reason I wake up some days, go to school, and do it all over again,” Hudson said.

Jamba Juice delivered a JambaGo machine to the cafeteria a couple weeks ago. Since then, the self-service machines have been providing students with a healthy alternative to snacking in the form of smoothies.

Jamba Juice is a franchise in the states that generally provides their customers with healthier-for-you food.  The most well known menu items are the smoothies. Jamba Juice has a variety of smoothies to choose from including veggie, fruit and indulgent smoothies listed on the Jamba Juice website. To provide schools and public places with these smoothies, Jamba Juice delivers JambaGo machine that produces smoothies from concentrate mix with a 1:1 ratio with water. The mixtures are made from natural fruit.

The smoothies that can be composed from the JambaGo are Apple Cherry Chill, Peach Pizazz, Mango Magnifice, Orchard Jamboree, Strawberry Symphony and Tropical Getaway. Although there are several different kinds of smoothies that can be created in the machine, only two different kinds are available at a time.

Many students find these new smoothies enjoyable. “I drink Jamba Juice on cookie days, because it’s a lot healthier than the cookies and it satisfies my sweet tooth,” junior Olivia Roberts said.

Although many students are content with these new menu items, to many, it is puzzling as to why there was a sudden change to the menu. “The nutrition director and nutrition staff decided to change the dessert item of frozen yogurt to the Jamba Juice smoothies,” lunch associate Boe Stoebner said. In doing this, students would enjoy a frozen treat, but consume more nutrients and vitamins than what frozen yogurt would provide.

The JambaGo nutrition poster is listen near á la carte in the lunch room. One 12 ounce smoothie contains 180 calories and none of the smoothies contains fat nor cholesterol. Each smoothie contains about 1 gram of fiber and protein. Also, the sodium averages around 10-15 mg, although the Peach Pizazz contains about 25 mg. All smoothies contain 44 carbohydrates and there is about 30-40 grams of sugar in each as well. The vitamins are plentiful, with an excess amount of vitamin C, vitamin A and several other vitamins and minerals.

Although many enjoy the benefits of Jamba Juice, not everyone is in favor of this new addition on the menu. “I don’t want to pay $2.50 for a smoothie that’s made out of fruit, when I can just eat fruit and gain the benefits at a much cheaper cost,” freshman Bre Beierle said.