The article "Call to banish fruit juice from recommended five a day" reports that fruit juices contain as much sugar as Coke. Since many parents still believe that fruit juices are healthy products to give to their childern, experts adivise them on the applicable amount and the time to take them.
I couldn't give up drinking Coke alomost every day until my friend warned me that my bones would start to melt. As I grew older, I was ready to pay more attention to what are good or healthy things to eat or drink, but I wasn't good enough. when I first read this article, I was quite shocked because I had no doubt that fruit juice as well as fruit is surely good for the health. And I was the one who drink fruit juice almost every day and of course have a stock in the fride.
I was little confused and at the same time started worrying about the fact I drink fruit juice more frequently here in Bangkok than in Japan. I decided to gathrer information on this topic for my own sake since I realized that I was too ignorant about what nutricious food is. I soon found out fruit juice is linked with diabetes. Diabetes is the last word I wanted to hear. It is an illness that scares me the most because both my father and brother have them. If I continue to have fruit juice, do I also develop diabetes?? Fruit may lower the risk of diabetes while juice may raise it. Can it be true? If fruit contains plenty of Vitamin C, Minerals and calcium, why not fruit juice? According to the artcle "Diabetes experts: 'juices are the worst, you might as well drink Coke..'.", Dr Kaufman says fruit juice is really one of worst things...We might as well drink Coca-Cola. Sugars are released from fruit when it is juice or blended. Fruit juice contains no fiber, but a high amount of sugar. Furthermore, fruit juice is so easy to take. We just need a glass to pour in. We don't have to peel nor cut it. Since it is a liquid, it is easy to have more. In contrast, eating fruit takes some time because we have to chew it and it cannot be absorbed into the body that quikily.
That means when I drink fruit juice, I am taking so much sugar into my body for a very short time. It sounds really bad for the health. If fruit juice is a kind of sugar water, it may also contribute to tooth decay and weight gain.
After gathering all this information, I wondered whether I should get rid of my fruit juice whose expiry dates are two weeks ahead or not. There are a lot other unhealthy products such as cakes, doughnuts, ice cream.... Do I eat them every day? No. I eat them for special occasions. As for fruit juice, now I have knowledge about it and as long as I am sensible about portion, I guess I don't have to give up drinking them as I did with Coke. But it might be a better idea to have whole fruits instead of juice.
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Reference
Elaine, W. (2014, March 27). Diabetes experts: 'juices are the worst, you might as well drink Coke..'.
Retrieved from http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/People/Diabetes-expert-Juices-are-the-worst-you-might-as-well-drink-Coke
Happily, I like my fruit whole. Is that safe and healthy?
ReplyDeleteToday, I bought some grapes. They are certainly sweet, but I'm hoping that eating them whole is healthy. I'm also fond of cherries, which I eat whole, spitting out the pit. And melon, and persimmon, and my most favourite: durian. (I've had durian ice cream, but have never heard of durian juice. Is there such a thing?)
Tomomi's post was very educational. And what about the freshly squeezed orange juice sold by the street vendor in front of my condo? I never buy the preserved juices in supermarkets, but I do like the fresh juice sold on the streets. Should I stop patronising those stalls?
Fruits contain lots of Fibers, Vitamins, MInerals and
Deletemany more. Each fruit has different nutrients, so you'd better to take various kinds.
Your favorite fruits, melon and persimmon, both contain a
high amount of vitamins , minerals and they are good for your health. As for durian,king of fruit, also contains lots of fibe, vitamin, minerals, potassium and much more.
It is a high-calorie, but don't worry because it is free from saturated fats and cholesterol.
I can't stand the smell of durian,however, I might try it sometime in the near future. My frined told me that it tasets really delicious as long as it is fresh.
And ripe so that it's soft to the touch. Good durian has to be a bit mushy, not hard and tasteless. The sellers in front of my condo know what I like, and I can usually get it, although sometimes I have to sample a couple first with a delicate finger poke to an exposed bit of flesh.
DeleteAnd I don't like Coke and similar sickly sweet soft drinks, so there is no threat there. I never drink them.
ReplyDeleteI don't like sweet things, but I am interested in both of fruit juices and cokes. My family like both of them, so I always make some kinds of fruit juices and prepare coke cans. About street vandors' fresh fruit juices, they also are not good, because I saw the vandors put sweet things into the juices after they taste them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie. I think either sugar or syrup are added to the most of fresh fruit juice sold anywhere.
DeleteI think it varies from vendor to vendor. Certainly, some do add sugar or other sickly sweeteners, but not all. I've watched a couple of vendors around my home, and after squeezing a jug full of fresh juice, they add not sugar but a little salt. This seemed a bit weird to me at first, but I like it now. And then they pour it into bottles without any added sugar. These are the ones I buy from, not the ones where they don't do the juicing on the spot.
DeleteOn this subject, I like the modern idea of requiring food products to list the ingredients, especially the sugar, fat and protein content - I was horrified when I checked the sugar content on some so called health foods like yoghurt. They are more than 10% sugar! Yuck!
Thankfully, there are some excellent yoghurts available that are not loaded with sugar.
(This is my morning coffee response writing. Have you done yours yet?)
Apart from being an addictive drug, I think my morning coffee is OK health wise. I don't add sugar or milk, liking it strong and black.
ReplyDeleteMorning coffee time is also a convenient time for me to do some daily response writing, another healthy habit. What is a convenient time for you to do some response writing on our blog every day?