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Fruit Juice May Be Equally Harmful As Any Sugary Soda; Study Finds

by Debayan Paul | May 29, 2019

Your little one doesn’t like to eat breakfast without a big glass of his favorite fruit juice. And he/she likes to drink it quite often. You’re happy, thinking- ‘my child at least gets some vital nutrients from the fruits.’ The same applies to you as well. True. 100% fruit juices do have vital nutrients. But they (even the cold-pressed ones) also have another ingredient, which you might want to skip- sugar. A recent study has shocked juice lovers which suggested that they are equally harmful, just as the likes of sugary soda. Know more here.

Fruit Juice can be equally harmful as drinking any sugary soda beverage, a study concludes

The thought- ‘I will totally avoid soda, and opt for more juices’ may not have the health quotient you think. Instead, it can be detrimental. Because new studies, for the first time, have found links between drinking 100-percent fruit juices with other sugary-infused beverages like cola and lemonades. And the results will make you reconsider your thoughts.

The study carried on 13,400 participants by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) suggests a scary revelation- people who drank sugar-infused drinks were associated with early mortality than those who didn’t. What bursts the common notion about the healthiness of juice is that the sugary drinks are all the same. Soda or 100 percent fruit juice does equal harm to the body. Although the study mentioned more ‘long-term’ research is needed. Nonetheless, excess sugar’s harmful effects on the body are already well-documented.

The study suggests, as long as they (drinks) were sugary, all were same, according to the report. Research scientists- Marta Guasch-Ferré and Dr. Frank B. Hu noted that our body can’t differentiate between a juice or a soda, they said adding that although in case of 100 % fruit-juice, the sugar forms naturally rather than artificially added, nonetheless, once metabolized, the biological reception to both types of sugar is essentially the same, the New York Post reports.

But, don’t freak out and throw all the juice you’ve stocked, yet. According to news outlet Independent, an expert from Britain mentioned that a single glass of fruit juice isn’t harmful as such, adding the study is important nevertheless.

But What about the Vitamins?

Sure. It remains. But why take the other way around instead of going the direct and more effective road? The study also noted that- “While 100% fruit juices contain some vitamins and phytonutrients, that are missing from most SSBs, the predominant ingredients in both are sugar and water.”

Rebecca Ditkoff, a Midtown Nutrition registered dietician says one is good to go with eating the whole fruits instead of the juice, despite juice being technically better.

“You’re getting vitamin C, but it’s not as beneficial as the fruit, and it does have that sugar that can spike your blood sugar. Plus it’s not filling you up like a real piece of fruit would.”
Rebecca Ditkoff via nypost.com

Whole Foods the Better Way Around

Whole foods must be ‘no’ to ‘minimally’ processed foods. Ideally, the likes of fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, and stuff. Better digestion, better blood sugar controls, lesser pain in muscles, and higher energy levels often follows with a healthy plant-based whole-food diet.

Include a lot of healthy, whole and pure vegan foods into your and your family’s diet. It is rather easier to eat more whole-foods while eating vegan. Instead of orange juice, ensure you and your family take whole oranges. Same with as many fruits available. Of course, a glass of juice a day won’t harm, just that it should not exceed the limits. In the same way, salads are a great way to incorporate healthy and nutritious whole veggies in your diet. Properly washed (and peeled when needed) veggies are great health-makers.

What do you think about the new suggestion? Would you cut your fruit juice intake? Because I will. Let me know your thoughts in comments.