CM: Fruit Juice is Just as Good as Whole Fruit

Written by Sam

Sometimes it can be tough to get enough fruit and veggies in our diet (For adults, it's recommended to get 2 cups of fruit and 2.5-3 cups of vegetables per day), so we often turn to fruit juice to reach our daily goal. In this week's common misconception post, I will tell you why you should avoid fruit juice whenever you can and always go for whole fruit!

The first reason is because a lot of fruit juices aren't 100% fruit juice. For example, fruit juice from concentrate or juice that is labeled "juice cocktail" is not real fruit juice and is just made using a syrup, so unless they add artificial vitamins in there, these juices has no nutritional value and is just loaded with sugar, in which case is almost equivalent to drinking soda. The juices you generally want to avoid are grape, cranberry, fruit punch, and apple juice as they are often not 100% pure fruit juice. According to the USDA regulations, fruit juice will only count as a serving of fruit only if it is 100% fruit juice.

So you might wonder if you can just get by with drinking 100% fruit juice because according to USDA, it will count as a serving. The second reason why you should still go with whole fruit over fruit juice is the added nutrients you are getting from eating the whole fruit. We will compare the nutrition facts between a whole apple and 1 cup of apple juice (both counting as 1 serving of fruit):

Whole apple - 65 calories, 13 g sugar, 17g carbs, 3 g dietary fiber, 10% vitamin C

1 cup of apple juice - 114 calories, 24 g sugar, 28 g carbs, 0 g dietary fiber, 4% vitamin C

As you can see from this, the whole apple is more nutritious in all 5 categories, the most important category being dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is essential for your digestive system and the normal excretion of wastes, while also making you feel energized and more full for longer. When you can fill up on fruit, you will be less likely to indulge on snacks that your body doesn't really need, whereas if you just had fruit juice, you would pee it right out and become hungry again. 

I'm not condemning drinking 100% fruit juice necessarily, but whole fruit is always the best choice! Pack an apple or banana with you when you are at work or in class- it will make a great snack to hold you over until your next meal. I have been doing that when I go to school and I find that I am more energized and less likely to go back to my room and gorge on chips and other snacks. Following this tip is a seemingly small adjustment to your diet but it will go a long way in shaping a healthier lifestyle!

Sources:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Orange_juice_1_edit1.jpg/220px-Orange_juice_1_edit1.jpg

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1822/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1809/2

http://myplate.gov/printpages/MyPlateFoodGroups/Vegetables/food-groups.vegetables-amount.pdf