Yikes, now they’ve put fruit juice on the dieter’s enemies list
This just in: Being “juiced” is bad for you even when it’s actual juice
If fruit juice were a person, it would probably sue Karen Kaplan for libel. Kaplan, a writer on the subject of health for the Los Angeles Times, recently leveled an absolute broadside at fruit juice, and not just as a commercial product, but as a beverage.
She makes a fairly compelling case that not only is it not essential, or beneficial, but that it is downright harmful, at least in the matter of weight gain and loss. It’s an article that raises a number of points that may in turn raise your eyebrows. It’s worth a read, but failing that, here are a few excerpted teasers.
It turns out that a day without OJ is like a day without . . . um, Pepsi
Fruit juices are sweet because of their fructose content, the same as soft drinks, but their sugar content is highly concentrated: one glass of apple juice, for example, delivers as much fructose as six actual apples. As a result of this, fruit juices are actually calorically worse than some major soft drinks.
Consider the following calorie counts per serving from the Department of Agriculture:
- Gatorade G Cool Blue: 50
- Grapefruit juice: 96
- Classic Coke: 97
- Pepsi or Sprite: 100
- Orange juice: 112
- Apple juice: 114
- Cranberry juice: 116
- Pineapple juice: 132
- Grape juice: 152
Some liquids are better in their solid form
Given that fructose has been linked to hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, and that fruit juice tends to have more fructose than soft drinks, there are a number of health professionals who consider it just as great a risk to your health as your average soda.
Some studies have linked high fruit juice consumption with weight gain in children, but others have found just the opposite, or no correlation at all. Playing it safe, the American Academy of Pediatrics has lowered its recommended daily amount for kids aged 1 to 6 to a maximum of one 4- to 6-ounce serving, and two such servings for older children.
Almost everyone with an opinion says you’re better off bypassing the juice and eating the fruit itself, which also provides healthy fiber and delivers its fructose more gradually, at a rate less likely to be converted into fat.
(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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Wow…my four-yr-old is always asking for o.j. I give about 4 oz each time (after meals or as part of a snack) but definitely more than once a day. I thought the vitamin C and added calcium would be good for him.
I wonder how prune juice stacks up.
I’m not sure why this is surprising. Eating healthy is a lot simpler than people make it out to be. Eat less calories than you burn for weight loss- or equal amounts to maintain weight. The amount of calories in fruit juice is printed right on the container- so if you drink 200 calories of apple juice you need to burn 200 calories somehow or your body will store them. Simple math- if your not active the best beverage is water. If you want vitamins from fruit- eat an apple or an orange. :)
Gina, I love prune juice but it’s higher in calories than OJ and tastes quite cloyingly sweet, which I like in moderation but it might be setting your lad up for a sweet tooth, I can think of few natural foods that taste so sweet and thick.
It’s also known for its laxative effect, something you need to be aware of, which can in some circumsatances become habit forming.
Why not try fizzy water with just a dash of OJ, it’s a nice drink and a bit like soda – but I’m not surprised he craves it so much, it really is a pure sugar rush that’s little different to cola.