Fruit Juice: How Healthy is it?

In this infographic, I tell how different types of fruit juice are made and how healthy it is compared to whole fruit.

Fruit Juice: How Healthy is it?

Fruit juice has been a staple drink for thousands of years, & known for being “healthy.” How is it made? Is it healthy?

How it’s Made:

1. Squeezing: strips of all fiber
2. Pasteurization: kills bacteria & helpful enzymes.
3. • Vaporization: water evaporated, juice concentrate left
   • Storage: oxygen extracted, removes flavor & most nutrients
4. • Water added: the concentrate is diluted
   • Flavor packs: paste made of fruit leftovers is added to give juice its “natural” flavor

 

• Unprocessed juice: a drink with most nutrients & enzymes intake.
• Concentrated juice: a drink with flavor, sugar, & water (added vitamins & minerals)
• Processed juice: a drink with flavor, sugar, & water (added vitamins, minerals, pulp)

 

Fruit Juice: Benefits and Disbenefits

Unprocessed juice benefits

1. Higher mineral, vitamin, & enzyme content, easier to digest.
2. Fruit juice can help achieve the daily fruit intake. (1.1 dl of 100% fruit juice is already 1 serving of fruit)

All Types of Juice Disbenefits

1. Juice contains a lot of kilocalories:
   1. 1 fruit juice box has: 108 kcal
   2. 1 orange has: 60 kcal
2. Juice has little to no fiber:
   1. The amount of sugar in juice is the same as in soda! (4 dl juice: 36 g sugar, 1 can soda: 33 g sugar)
   2. The sugar will be digested instantly.
   3. Your blood sugar spikes, shortly collapsing
   4. Juice will NOT make you feel full, it will make hungrier.
   5. Diabetes, liver damage & obesity risks increase.

Sugar from fruit only = Normal table sugar!

Fruit: Benefits and Disbenefits

Benefits:

1. Fruit has fiber, the decisive health benefit
   • You’ll feel full quickly and for a longer time
     • Gives a constant source of energy
   • Sugar release is slow
   • Higher antioxidant and enzyme content
   • Decreased chance of obesity, diabetes, inflammation, cancer, etc.
2. Fruit has fewer kilocalories than juice:
   • 1 banana has: 105 kcal, 3 g fiber, 14 g sugar
   • 1 fruit juice box has: 108 kcal, 0 g fiber, 18 g sugar

Disbenefits:

1. Due to fruit being so healthy, almost little to no disbenefits exist for fruit if consumed accordingly.

Conclusion:

Eating fruit is much better than drinking fruit juice. Even though juice has some benefits, the disbenefits overweight them.

However, if you want to continue drinking juice, follow these steps:

1. Add vegetables
   • Blend your own juices & add vegetables to lower calorie & sugar count
2. Avoid at any cost concentrated or processed juice