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We all know we should be eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day and for many years the Department of Health have said that one of those servings can come in the form of a glass of fruit juice. However, according to a number of recent media reports fruit juice may actually cause more harm to health than good.
These reports come off the back of a study recently published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association which found that those drinking more than three glasses of fruit juice a day were more likely to develop rectal cancer, a form of bowel cancer. The scientists claim that the high levels of sugar in fruit juice could be to blame.
The problem lies in the fact that many of the nutrients, particularly fibre, that help to protect against bowel cancer are taken out during the processing of fruit juice but does this mean that fruit juice should be struck off your shopping list forever?
Of course not, fruit juices can still contribute a great deal towards a healthy, balanced diet. They can be a great source of immune boosting vitamin C and are invariably a more nutritious alternative to many other soft drinks currently on the market.
However, it is worth remembering that they can pack quite a sugary punch so limit your intake to one glass a day and better still, try diluting it with still or sparkling water to reduce calories and avoid blood sugar spikes. Smoothies, instead of juices can also be a good choice as they still contain most of the whole fruit and therefore are higher in fibre and tend to release their sugars at a slower rate.
It is also a good idea to look carefully at the sort of fruit juices you are actually buying. Stick to those that say 100% juice on the label and watch out for what I call the ‘fruit juice fakes’. These are the ones that despite costing about the same, sitting on the same supermarket shelf and being sold in almost identical cartons to the real fruit juices can actually contain as little as just 6% real fruit juice.
Here are just a few examples of some of the fruit juice drinks that are fine as a soft drink but just don’t contain enough fruit to stack up as one of your five a day.
Fruit juice content: 10%
The rest made mostly from: Water, Sugar, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Colour and Flavouring.
Welch’s White Grape Pear/Apple Drink
Fruit juice content: 11%
The rest made mostly from: Water, Sugar and Flavouring.
McEnnedy Cranberry and Raspberry Juice Drink
Fruit juice content: 11%
The rest made mostly from: Water, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Sugar and Flavouring
Rubicon Mango Exotic Juice Drink
Fruit juice content: 19%
The rest made mostly from: Water, Sugar, Flavourings, Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum
Princes Pineapple and Coconut Juice Drink
Fruit juice content: 40%
The rest made mostly from: Water, Sugar Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk Pectin, Gum Acacia and Flavourings
Cracker Mango and Passion Fruit Juice Drink
Fruit juice content: 12%
The rest made mostly from: Water, Sugar, Natural Flavour and Citric Acid
Five Alive Berry Five Fruit Blend
Fruit Juice Content: 30%
The rest made mostly from: Water, Sugar, Flavourings and Sweeteners
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
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