Juice

One of my pet peeves as a Dietitian is juice. Everybody thinks its healthy. I mean look at this picture for crying out loud…

Unfortunately, just about all juices are not made that way, and even if they were, juice still is not the best decision.

Why are you so ant-juice Beth?

Well I am glad you asked, I just need to get this off my chest. My disdain for juice can be summed up in one infographic…

Yes, 100% juice does contain natural sugars, which is great,  however, your body cannot differentiate between the two. To the body sugar is sugar.

Another common thing that keeps me up at night is people drinking juice in place of eating fruits and/or vegetables. Why you ask? Well, I just covered the whole sugar piece as to why this may not be the best idea, but the other big things that jumps out at me is the lack of fiber. Ah yes, everybody's favorite nutrient. Riddle me this, what keeps you fuller for longer drinking a glass of orange juice or eating an actual orange? (The correct answer is eating an actual orange) One of the reasons for this is because of the fiber found in the actual orange, which is removed when juice is made (unless you take your oj extra pulpy), helps with satiation (say-she-ation).  

Well what if I want to drink juice?

That’s fine, everything in moderation. Here are some things to look for to make your juice drinking decision a little healthier:

• Look for 100% fruit juice. Note: this will require you to actually read the label not just look at the pictures on it. Case in point:

Fruit drink and fruit cocktail is essentially fruit flavored water with tons of sugar added to it...the equivalent of soda or pop for my Midwestern friends. Yes, 100% fruit juice does contain some nutrients that soda does not, but it is not going to dramatically improve your health.

PSA: Juice cleanses

Here are my sentiments on juice cleanses…

Essentially this is a giant waste of time and money. Your body has a thing called a liver and not one, but two kidneys that “cleanse” your body of toxins.

Breaking it down

Not saying that you should never drink juice, but just be mindful that it does contain calories. Does it come from fruit? Yes, the 100% kind sure does. Does that make it "healthy"? Well, Ketchup comes from tomatoes, does that make it healthy? Not sure about you, but I don't see anyone (willingly) drinking ketchup. Anyways, I prefer not to drink my calories; rather I like to actually eat food and feel full. Again, moderation is key and NEVER drink OJ after you have brushed your teeth. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth