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Is Juice Healthy?

If I'd known I was going to live so long, I'd have taken better care of myself.” ~Leon Eldred

Is Juice Healthy? It has high concentrations of fruit sugars.

When I ask “is juice healthy?”, I am thinking about all sorts of juice, also juice beverages", "juice cocktails" or "juice drinks". The answer is yes and no. Juice made from freshly-squeezed fruits is healthy – unless you drink too much of it. Because of the high concentration of simple carbohydrates you need to be careful. If you want to prevent type 2 diabetes and weight problems you need to reduce your intake of these carbohydrates. The most popular juices as orange, apple or pineapple juices are all high in fruit sugars (fructose). Fruits lowest in sugar are lemon and lime.

Fruit drink consumption in USA has doubled since the late 1970s.

In a study from 2008 I can read: “fruit drink consumption in the United States has doubled since the late 1970s. This along with the strong marketing of fruit juice as "healthy, beginning in the 1980s and still to this day has led us to higher and higher rates of Type 2 diabetes”. This study was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Carbohydrates biggest single cause of weight gain and diabetes on the planet.

Over the last 30 years or so it seems to have become an accepted “fact” that fat makes you fat. It is not true. White sugar and carbohydrates makes us fat. They are highly addictive, highly dangerous and the biggest single cause of weight gain and diabetes on the planet. Most people don’t associate weight problems and diabetes with drinking fruit juices. Fruits are synonymous with health. Is juice healthy or not? To drink a glass or two a day with freshly-squeezed juice is healthy, if… see the advices below.

Fruits and vegetables are healthy and we should make it part of our daily diet. Complex carbohydrates as whole fruits are not refined and have more fiber, so the body processes them more slowly. Whole fruit contains loads of fiber that helps to prevent the fruit sugars entering the bloodstream too fast and sending your sugar levels sky high. My advice is that you replace some of the juice with fresh fruit. Or even better, start juicing vegetables - read about vegetable juicing here: "The optimal healthy fastfood".

Is juice healthy? That all depends on the type of juice.

Not all juice is healthy. It depends on the type of juice you drink. “Fruit drinks”, “juice beverages", "juice cocktails" or "juice drinks" can contain as little as 5 per cent actual fruit juice. The rest can be made up with water, white sugar or sweeteners. The truth is many of these “fruit juice drinks” have been pasteurized, contains loads of sugars and chemicals to make them last longer. And they have no natural vitamins, minerals or enzymes left. Often you can read on the labels of these “fruit juice drinks” that vitamins and minerals (synthetic) are added. Why should they add anything to something that should have plenty of this already?

Is juice healthy? – yes, if you take a few precautions.

Replace “fruit drinks”, “juice beverages", "juice cocktails" or "juice drinks" with juice made from freshly-squeezed fruits and vegetables. The best is to attempt to vary with different juices.
Fruit juice - try to keep it to 2-3 glasses daily. You can also “thin” the juice with water.
Make your own juice. You can make juice of most fruits and vegetables. If you use vegetables or fruit with less fruit sugar you can drink more.
Don’t make your juice before you need it. Juice loses most all of it's live enzymes in about 15 minutes.
If you buy your juice the best places are juice bars where you can watch your freshly-squeezed juice being made.
If you buy juice in a shop make sure it is 100% from fruits and not made from concentrate. Check that sugar or other sweeteners are not added.
Chew” your juice (swill round in your mouth) and take your time drinking it. Then you prevent the fruit sugars entering the bloodstream too fast.
Avoid “sipping” to the juice during the day as the acid can ruin your teeth. The problem of dental erosion is a growing one, because of the increasing fruit drink consumption.
Varies between fruit smoothie and fruit juice. The fibers from the whole fruits will help to slow down the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream.
Cinnamon reduce the blood sugar levels and increase the natural production of insulin – try to add some to your juice.
Strive to use organic ingredients. If you read my article "Why organic" you will see why you should use organic ingredients.

Raw juice therapy.

Raw juice therapy is also a form of disease treatment which involves taking a diet, comprising exclusively of fruit and vegetable juices. It is also called juice fasting. I will make another article covering this.

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Fruity smoothies
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