Whole Fruits Vs Fruit Juice: Are Juices Beneficial?
17-07-2018 | Posted By: Shagun Parasher | 5058 View(s)
Whole Fruits Vs Fruit Juice – Have you ever tried to know which one is better for your health? Fruit juice is often perceived as a healthy snack. Why? Because it has the word “Fruit” in it. Have you ever read what’s written on the back side of the packaging of your favourite juice? If we go by popular answers, the majority of them say “NO”. It is a common mistake made by us which leads us into thinking that fresh fruit juices are healthy. Let’s find out why they are not?
Whole fruits Vs Fruit Juice: Why Are Whole Fruits Beneficial?
Whole Fruits are a source of protective agents. They are rich in fibre, essential vitamins and minerals etc. We love them because of their pleasant smell and sweet taste. This sweetness of fruits is due to the presence of Fructose, which is a natural sugar. This sugar of fruits is harmless but not for Diabetes patients for whom, any kind of sugar is not suitable in the diet.
Talking about the commonly perceived notion that, drinking fruit juices is healthy, but in this article, we will tell you why it is not. Packed fruit juices contain added sugar, and this is one of the main reasons why fruit juices are not healthy. Even though they are labelled as “100% pure” and “not prepared from concentrate”, they may not be what we think.
Fruit Juice isn’t what it seems always. After the juice is squeezed from the fruit, the liquid is usually stored in massive oxygen-depleted holding tanks for almost a year before it is packed. The main problem that occurs is that this process tends to remove the majority of the flavour, so the manufacturers need to add flavouring packs to the juice to bring back the taste that is lost during processing.
So, even if you buy the best quality of fruit juice from the supermarket near you, it is still very far from the original state. The lowest quality ones do not even resemble the freshly squeezed fruit juice at all. They are just fruit flavoured sugar water.
Whole fruits Vs Fruit Juice: Which One is Better for Health?
Fruit Juice doesn’t have a lot of stuff that can make them healthy. For example, Orange Juice contains Vitamin C and is a decent source of folate, potassium and Vitamin B12. It also includes antioxidants but it is nutritionally deficient compared to whole oranges and other vegetables and fruits. Fruit juices contain no fibre and very high sugar.
Let’s compare the two most commonly consumed beverages;
• Coca-Cola: 140 Calories and 40 gm sugar
• Apple Juice: 165 Calories and 39 gm sugar
If you notice, both the drinks have similar values of calories and sugar present, yet coca-cola and aerated drinks are considered unfit for drinks while fruit juices are equally bad. This is the ugly truth.
Whole fruits Vs Fruit Juice: Eat Whole Fruit, Skip the Juice
In nutritional guidelines, five whole fruit and juice servings are recommended. But often this is taken in the wrong sense. Instead of packaged fruit juices, fresh fruit juices should be consumed. Most people usually drink too much sugar and for those people, taking added sugar is not a healthy habit.
Bottom line: Consuming whole fruits instead of packaged fruit drinks is a healthy option since fruits have a high amount of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Drinking fruit juices in limited quantities, however, is not that harmful.
This was about the comparison between whole fruits and fruit juices. We hope that you liked the article ‘Whole Fruits Vs Fruit Juice.’ If you find it useful, do share it with your friends and family. If you have any queries, drop them in the comments section below. Stay happy, stay healthy.
