Ajit Karn
Drinking 100% fruit juice may appear to be the healthiest option, but this is not always the case.
Certainly, there are benefits to consuming fruit juice, beginning with the long list of vitamins and nutrients contained in each glass. However, 100% fruit juice contains enough sugar to be compared unfavorably to soda.
Kind of unexpected, right? Let’s extract some information from registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, in order to gain a greater comprehension of the pros and cons of juice.
What is 100% fruit juice?
If you are imbibing 100 percent fruit juice, you are essentially consuming a liquid that has been pressed, compressed, or otherwise extracted from fruit. There should be familiar fruit names on the nutrition labels of these bottles.
Different labels are used for beverages with a lower percentage of citrus juice, such as 10%. These can be found on the shelf under names like fruit cocktail, drink, punch, or the exotic-sounding nectar.
You will likely find added sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup on the ingredient list of these bottles.
Benefits of 100% fruit juice
Many of the vitamins and nutrients that make fruit a recommended part of a healthy diet are present in fruit juice. The United States Department of Agriculture suggests consuming approximately 2 pints of produce per day.
What is the definition of a “cup” of fruit? Glad you inquired! That is roughly equivalent to a large orange or banana, a small apple, or eight strawberries in their natural state.
One cup of produce yields eight ounces of juice when juiced. (We will return to that number.)
Is drinking fruit juice the same as eating whole fruit?
The brief response is no. Some of the wonderful health benefits of fruit are lost during the juicing procedure. The greatest reduction is in fiber content, a digestive-friendly benefit of whole fruit.
As a result of the “fruit meat” that is consumed, whole fruit also provides a fuller sensation than juice. This means you’ll be less likely to start searching for sustenance 30 minutes later.
“Eating whole fruit provides so much more than just juice,” observes Czerwony. “It’s not the same thing.”
Sugar in 100% fruit juice
Numerous varieties of fruit are rich in natural sugars, which is one reason why fruit is often referred to as “nature’s candy.” When you extract the juice from fruit, you concentrate the sugar into a highly palatable beverage.
Consider the following, says Czerwony: A cup could be filled with the juice of five or six oranges. That much saccharine fluid can cause an immediate increase in blood sugar.
We should quantify the situation. A glass of orange juice contains approximately 23 grams of sugar, which is close to the American Heart Association’s daily recommendation for sugar intake. (The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of sugar per day for men and 25 grams per day for women.)
According to Czerwony, a single cup of orange juice contains all the sugar you should consume in a day. “How many of us are content with an 8-ounce glass of juice?” Typically, it’s more.”
100% fruit juice vs. soda
Juice contains nearly the same amount of sugar as sugary sodas, which are not precisely considered healthful. (Of course, the vitamins in juice make the beverage healthier than cola.)
Czerwony observes, “However, from a sugar standpoint, they are essentially the same.”
Also read: 4 Ways We Eat Fruit That Aren’t as Healthy as You Think
Should you drink 100% juice?
Is juice’s sugar content a cause for concern? You sure. However, there is also the fact that many individuals do not consume enough produce.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 12 percent of adults in the United States ingest the daily recommended amount of fruit. The consumption of juice is included in the total.
In many respects, then, eating too little fruit is a greater problem than imbibing too much 100% fruit juice.
Czerwony states, “Juice is an easy way to incorporate fruit into your diet, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a glass.” “Modesty is essential. Just be cautious not to overuse it.”
