I only have fruit juice if it is 100% fruit juice with nothing else added to it, like sweeteners or preservatives. Obviously these things aren’t good for your health!
However, I very rarely have even 100% fruit juice because it is high in sugar and calories and has less fibre and nutrients with it than a whole piece of fruit. Most fruit juices have the same amount of sugar as soft drink! Yes, they do have more antioxidants and nutrients, but why not go for gold and just have the whole piece of fruit? Whole fruit will actually make you feel full and provide your body with more benefits because it still has the pulp and skin. Fruit skin has been shown to help lower the risk of cancer and helps provide protection from ultraviolet light. Fruit pulp is a great source of fibre and flavonoids.
On holidays recently in the French Alps they had a ‘make your own orange juice’ station at the breakfast buffet. It was interesting to see how much juice one orange produces. The result – 1 medium orange makes a very small glass of juice. Most people who drink a glass of juice would have a large glass, so you’d need about three whole oranges!
A small glass of orange juice – the result of juicing 1 medium orange.
The only time I would recommend fruit juice to someone is if they are trying to put on weight. It is a good way of easily getting in a lot of calories without filling you up. If, like me, you’re aiming to either lose body fat or maintain body fat levels and keep your overall sugar intake low, then I would recommend you switch a glass of fruit juice with your breakfast (even if it’s natural) for a whole piece of fruit instead.
Holly x
True. The sugar in fruit juice is the same as in coke and other soft drinks; fructose. Its also the same amount. Whole fruit is a much better option.
[…] more about why I believe fruit juice should not be a ‘all the time food’ read my post here. Free sugars are absorbed into our blood stream rapidly and get direct access to the liver where it […]