The juice is loose. I'm not talking about OJ, but rather OJ. That OJ, yes the drinking one: orange juice. Orange juice, apple juice, grape juice, cranberry juice, papaya juice - there is a huge market for fruit juice. And now you can even get fusions such as "cran-apple", "cran-grape", "crango", and if that isn't enough - "orange-apple-pineapple", all in one bottle. Fruit juices are in a class of their own when it comes to commercial drinks such as water, sports drinks, and sodas, but are fruit juices really what they appear to be in the grocery store?
How is orange juice really made? You shouldn't be surprised that the process involves more than just squeezing oranges. Most commercial orange juices are made by yes, squeezing juice out of the orange, but typically that juice is then stored and oxygen is removed. This process affects the juice flavor, which means artificial flavor packs have to be added. Flavor packs are packs of chemicals that have been engineered to replicate flavor. They are not listed on the ingredients label because they are derived from orange essence. These flavor packs are what makes Minute Maid, Tropicana, Simply Orange, and so on all have unique tastes. Companies such as Calvin Klein and Dior even supply these fragrant flavor packs. Ethyl butyrate is a chemical commonly found in the flavor packs of American orange juices. That is not exactly what you'd call, "freshly squeezed."
The biggest argument presented against commercial juices is the added sugar content. According to Food Renegade, it takes 6-8 apples to make one cup of apple juice. Drinking one cup of apple juice is much easier (and in my opinion, more delicious) than eating 6 apples in a sitting. Yet that deliciousness of the juice make it easy to over-consume and load up on sugar. Healthline argues that the small amount of antioxidants and vitamins in juice doesn't make up for the sugar content. A 12 ounce Coca Cola contains 40 grams of sugar, while 12 ounces of apple juice contain up to 39 grams. Another issue with fruit juices is that they lack the fiber that real fruits don't. Liquid calories are dangerous. I often catch myself consuming glasses upon glasses of juice without thinking about how much sugar that really is. Juices easily fly under the radar and the calories go unnoticed.
The biggest argument presented against commercial juices is the added sugar content. According to Food Renegade, it takes 6-8 apples to make one cup of apple juice. Drinking one cup of apple juice is much easier (and in my opinion, more delicious) than eating 6 apples in a sitting. Yet that deliciousness of the juice make it easy to over-consume and load up on sugar. Healthline argues that the small amount of antioxidants and vitamins in juice doesn't make up for the sugar content. A 12 ounce Coca Cola contains 40 grams of sugar, while 12 ounces of apple juice contain up to 39 grams. Another issue with fruit juices is that they lack the fiber that real fruits don't. Liquid calories are dangerous. I often catch myself consuming glasses upon glasses of juice without thinking about how much sugar that really is. Juices easily fly under the radar and the calories go unnoticed.
Many consumers have lately caught on to the potential juice fraud. Naked, a popular juice brand has been under fire this decade for its ingredients. In 2013, Pepsi had to pay $9 million in a class-action lawsuit after it was found that the "all-natural" marketed (and not really naked) juices weren't that "natural." Zinc oxide, calcium pantothenate - a product of formaldehyde, and GMOs were found in Naked juices. That lawsuit was not the first for Naked. Trader Joe's, a fan favorite, has also been involved in lawsuits for "deceptive labeling."
According to Today and the Food Institute, juice consumption is going down. Even Jamba Juice has decided to ax "Juice" from their name. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the average American consumed 5.2 gallons of juice in 2017, the lowest number in at least 49 years. Recent consumer reports have not helped matters either. One report found levels of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic in fruit juices that could pose health risks. Consumer Reports tested 45 popular fruit juices and found "elevated levels" in almost half. This is a concern, considering 74% of parents surveyed give their children 3 and younger juice at least once a day. The report also found grape juice to have the highest average level of heavy metals, 5 of the products with elevated levels were juice boxes, organic juices did not have lower levels than conventional ones, and every product tested had measurable levels of at least one of cadmium, arsenic, lead, or mercury. Check out the entire interactive report here.
According to Today, 2013 was the first time in 43 years that Americans consumed more fresh fruit than we did sweeteners. Grapefruit consumption has torpedoed from 9 pounds a year in the 1980s to 1.9 pounds in 2017. Grapefruit juice consumption has plummeted 89% from 1968 to 2017. Orange juice has not been hit only in the United States, but rather the world, dropping 21% worldwide in 15 years - falling another 4% from 2016 to 2017. Every major juice type has been in decline since 2013.
Does this all mean you should forever stay away from Minute Main, Tropicana, Motts, Ocean Spray, and company? Not necessarily. Even with the added chemicals, orange juice and other fruit juices are still generally safe to drink, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to be sold. Yet if you want to be more health conscious, then you really want to watch how much of it you drink. It's ridiculously easy to load up on sugar through fruit juices, and you aren't going to get near the health benefits of eating actual fruit. There is also the concern of heavy metals in juices, but avoiding them completely is impossible as they're also found in soil and air. There are definitely more natural options for juice lovers. Smoothies are delicious and a great alternative for juice, but be careful when buying commercial smoothies as they can also be loaded with sugar. Making your own juice at home can be easy, fun, and will most assuredly be healthier.
Fruit juices may be going though a tough time, but apple juice will always be #1 with me. Drink your juice, but drink in moderation, watch sugar content, buy from trusted brands, and always consider alternatives.
According to Today and the Food Institute, juice consumption is going down. Even Jamba Juice has decided to ax "Juice" from their name. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the average American consumed 5.2 gallons of juice in 2017, the lowest number in at least 49 years. Recent consumer reports have not helped matters either. One report found levels of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic in fruit juices that could pose health risks. Consumer Reports tested 45 popular fruit juices and found "elevated levels" in almost half. This is a concern, considering 74% of parents surveyed give their children 3 and younger juice at least once a day. The report also found grape juice to have the highest average level of heavy metals, 5 of the products with elevated levels were juice boxes, organic juices did not have lower levels than conventional ones, and every product tested had measurable levels of at least one of cadmium, arsenic, lead, or mercury. Check out the entire interactive report here.
According to Today, 2013 was the first time in 43 years that Americans consumed more fresh fruit than we did sweeteners. Grapefruit consumption has torpedoed from 9 pounds a year in the 1980s to 1.9 pounds in 2017. Grapefruit juice consumption has plummeted 89% from 1968 to 2017. Orange juice has not been hit only in the United States, but rather the world, dropping 21% worldwide in 15 years - falling another 4% from 2016 to 2017. Every major juice type has been in decline since 2013.
Does this all mean you should forever stay away from Minute Main, Tropicana, Motts, Ocean Spray, and company? Not necessarily. Even with the added chemicals, orange juice and other fruit juices are still generally safe to drink, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to be sold. Yet if you want to be more health conscious, then you really want to watch how much of it you drink. It's ridiculously easy to load up on sugar through fruit juices, and you aren't going to get near the health benefits of eating actual fruit. There is also the concern of heavy metals in juices, but avoiding them completely is impossible as they're also found in soil and air. There are definitely more natural options for juice lovers. Smoothies are delicious and a great alternative for juice, but be careful when buying commercial smoothies as they can also be loaded with sugar. Making your own juice at home can be easy, fun, and will most assuredly be healthier.
Fruit juices may be going though a tough time, but apple juice will always be #1 with me. Drink your juice, but drink in moderation, watch sugar content, buy from trusted brands, and always consider alternatives.
*Food Renegade, Huffington Post, Washingtonian, Today, Healthline, Consumer Reports, Citrus Industry, McKeany Flavell
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