Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Debate about Juice


There are those who say juice is a healthy beverage--much better than sugary sodas. There are others who say it can contribute to weight gain and tooth decay every bit as much as soda does.

According to The Culinary Institute of America, both sides are right. Compared to soda, elixirs, and sport drinks, juice is a fairly nutritious choice. While they all contain sugars in comparable amounts, no-sugar added juice gets its sweetness from naturally occurring fruit sugar called fructose. Sugar-added drinks get theirs from high-fructose corn syrup, but both types of sugar are simple carbohydrates that the body metabolizes in the same way. Juice, however, does supply some vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants and phytochemicals, which are found in the fruits they are made from.

Compare an 8-ounce glass of fruit juice to the medium-sized fruit it is made from, though, and it doesn't look so nutritious.

Orange juice Calories=112 Carbohydrates=26 Sugar(grams)=20 Fiber (grams)=0.5
Orange Calories=62 Carbohydrates=15 =12.2 =3.1
Apple juice Calories=117 Carbohydrates=29 =27 =0.2
Apple (w/skin) Calories=81 Carbohydrates=21 =18 =3.7

The bottom line is that juice contains nutrients that other beverages don't, but it lacks the fiber that fruit contains.

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