I chose protein shakes for this week’s edition because I recently returned from a lengthy trip where I ate restaurant food for nearly every dinner, never passed up a sweet morning noon or night, drank my share of beers, got next-to-no exercise and have the extra poundage to prove it.

A desideratum has arisen. Time to consume healthy stuff — hence, protein shakes aka smoothies aka superfood drinks.

I chose two chains that are making inroads into Tampa Bay: Pure Green, with locations in Tampa and St. Pete; and Raining Berries, with two locations in Pinellas and four in Hillsborough.

Late Thursday morning, after calling ahead to order at each place (I matched the shakes as best I could) we lit out for downtown St. Pete to pick them up quick-like, shoot pics and drink. The plan worked.

PURE GREEN—11:32 A.M.

The narrow, brightly lit space, with little more than a counter, has a grab-and-go vibe. My Purple Haze Superfood Smoothie (blueberries, strawberries, banana, spirulina, plant-based protein, coconut water, $10.25) was waiting for me in a fridge near the door. I paid, grabbed and went.

RAINING BERRIES—11:43 A.M.

We drove a half-mile west to this cafe. As soon as I walked in, the young woman at the counter handed me my Blueberry Fields shake (blueberries, strawberries, banana, almond butter, chocolate protein, oat milk, $12.29). I availed myself of the boho/comfy lounge area to shoot photos.

TASTING AT HOME—12:18

While the drinks had a relatively similar color and overlapped some ingredients, they tasted quite different and had contrasting textures.

Pure Green’s Purple Haze was darker and thinner, more tart and fruit-forward, with a medium graininess. It had an agreeable flavor, but was just challenging enough to remind you that you were drinking something healthy. Maybe it was the spirulina (just kidding; I had to look it up).

Raining Berries’ Blueberry Fields was thicker, more shake-like and contained itty-bits that offered optional chewing. It was notably sweet — sweeter than any store-bought smoothie I can recall (which is not many). The flavors blended well, with the chocolate standing out slightly, and banana coming in second.

And the Winner of the Set-To Over Superfood Protein Shakes Is …

… Blueberry Fields By Raining Berries.

A close one. The tasting process was more interesting than I anticipated. I alternated sips, and as I went along — slowly — the Blueberry Fields edged close to overly sweet and I began to appreciate the Purple Haze’s tartness more. The bout got closer as it went along, but ultimately the Blueberry Fields’ thicker texture gave it enough points to eke out a close decision.

Kudos to both places for naming drinks after two of my beloved rock songs.

I’d like to say that after finishing nearly all of two smoothies yesterday afternoon, I got fired up and hurried down to the gym to make good use of my protein blast …