Fruit Juice: Just As Bad For You As Soda?

By SheSpeaksTeam Aug 30, 2013

Many health conscious parents know not to stock their pantries with sugary bubbly beverages. Rather than supplying their kids with a daily dose of soda, many parents choose fruit juice instead but new reports are now shedding some light on the real dangers of this seemingly healthy drink.

The Telegraph reports about obesity expert, Robert Lustig’s view on fruit juice and the accompanying case studies that support his claim regarding the dangers of consuming too much of the drink. Lustig’s main beef with fruit juice is that it contains zero fiber and simply amounts to added sugar in anyone’s diet. Eating an apple can give you as much as 17% of your daily fiber intake while downing a juice box will leave you with nothing but 17 grams of sugar.

Though you may already be aware of the empty calories in juice, Lustig provides some shocking comparisons to juice and soft drinks. Lustig explains, “Calorie for calorie, 100 per cent orange juice is worse for you” than sugary sodas. Some of Lustig’s case studies highlight the dangers of consuming too much fruit juice, like an 8 year old boy who has developed high blood pressure from drinking three glasses of juice each day.

If your family is not willing to give up juice in the name of health just yet, limiting their intake may be key. Adding water to juices and making it a once a day drink may be the answer to reducing all that sugar intake.

Are you and your family fruit juice drinkers?

Do you try and limit the consumption of juice in your household?

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Comments

by Canzash | Al Khobar, OU

Oct 29, 2013

My family loves fruit juices specially OJ but since my father is diabetic, we go for the brands that claim "no sugar added" but I don't know if their claim is really true. Fresh fruit juices are obviously the best and healthy because apart from the natural sweetness you can moderate the sugar content in them.

by bettycd | Budd Lake, NJ

Oct 10, 2013

when thirsty, we probably would be so much better simply drinking water consider how people are turning to drinking their veggies, their fruits, their meals. Coffee is often designer drinks with a horrendous amount of calories. even when we do drink water, it has been enhanced by sweet flavors I was told by dentist that we effect our teeth by reducing solid food that would of been chewed and swallowed into a drinkable slurry that coats our teeth in the process. That coating of the teeth causes issues much like the continual swigging of soda.

by sguillen50 | SAN ANTONIO, TX

Oct 08, 2013

Yes i started to really pay attention to hfcs in juices and was pretty shocked. Now i try tho get as much natural juices for the kids, although they still do have some regular juice from time to time.

by marip1 | RACINE, WI

Sep 19, 2013

I do add water to my juice to reduce the sugar. Lot of the juices do have a lot of sugar. I also will drink freshly squeezed lemons and limes in water without adding sugar.

by Cacheteslizzy | HOUSTON, TX

Sep 11, 2013

Yes, some times it even has twice as much. At first i never payed so much attention to it until I started getting healthy myself! Nothing better than natrual juices & smoothies, healthy and happiness!! Watermelon juice and papaya with banana smoothies are my sons favorite:) and for abit sweetnest try honey or agave necture.

by Emy_Cooks | Hialeah, FL

Sep 05, 2013

yes, as long as it has sugar I beleive it s bad. Smoothies is good and we do not need sugar or sweetner, banana or carrots sweets the smoothie...natural is the best.