Fruit Juice: Not as healthy as you think

Fruit juice is a treat for all of us, something which we like to indulge in once in a while, especially during the hot months of summer. We have always considered juice to be a healthy alternative to desserts as it is extracted from the natural fruits and vegetables. This is understandable as one would simply assume that the amount of vitamins and nutrients you get while consuming a fruit is the same as drinking its juice. However, these natural juices are not as healthy as you think they are, especially the processed juices that you drink out of a carton or the juice available in a juice stall on the street. Here are some facts about fruit juice that will make you think twice about consuming it:

• Fruit juice has the same amount of sugar as any other artificial drink

Fruit juices are no healthier than aerated drinks and contain the same amount of sugar. For example: One glass of Coca Cola contains 140 calories and 40 grams of sugar (10 teaspoons). On the other hand, one glass of apple juice contains 165 calories and 39 grams of sugar (9.8 teaspoons). This means that apple juice has more calories than Coca Cola and just a little less sugar in comparison.

• Eat a fruit instead of drinking its juice.

The problem with freshly squeezed juice is that it contains some of the nutrients present in the fruit, but none of the fibre a fruit has to offer that helps break down the sugars it contains. Juice that is left out for more than five minutes begins to convert to sugar. If you delay the consumption, you will be drinking pure sugar without any of the nutrients. It is always recommended that you eat a fruit rather than drinking its juice. A glass of apple juice has 165 calories and 39 grams of sugar (9.8 teaspoons) in it while a medium-size apple has only 95 calories, and helps you burn calories as it requires over a hundred calories for your body to digest the fruit.

• Processed juices that are labelled as ‘100% pure’ are a lie.

Many of the juices available at a supermarket are labelled as ‘100% pure’, and claim to contain ‘no artificial flavour’ and ‘no artificial colouring’, but these claims are not true. After the juice has been squeezed from the fruit, it is stored in a huge oxygen-depleting tank, which holds the juice for upto a year, and is then packaged and distributed among retail stores. By the time we as consumers purchase this ‘juice’ and actually consume it, we are drinking sugar water. When this liquid is stored for such a long period of time, it loses all its flavour, and hence, artificial flavour powders are put into this juice in order to revive its taste.

• The fruit juice you buy at street stalls is unhygienic

Juice stalls serve hundreds of customers on a daily basis. Hygiene is not a priority for them. They use stale fruits, and sometimes they do not even wash the fruits, which are most likely covered in wax, dirt, preservatives and chemicals. The equipment they use to juice the fruits is not cleaned properly. Lastly, they try to conceal the poor quality of the fruits with tons of sugar. It is no surprise that the people drinking this juice fall sick either with a bad cough or stomach pains. While it is not necessary to completely cut fruit juice out of your diet, you can either decrease your consumption of it or prepare it at home. Better yet, eat whole fruits instead. It’s true that healthy lifestyle is the key to leading a healthy life in the future, but there’s no taking away from the fact that timely check-ups are just as important in ensuring our well-being in the long run. At Apollo Diagnostics, we offer free home collection facilities making health check-up convenient than ever before. To book an appointment, call 9205478479 or visit www.apollodiagnostics.in