Nutrition information is often confusing and conflicting, making healthy food choices a challenge. Fortunately, there are some recommendations that are consistent. Among these is eating more fruit. But what if the way you were consuming fruit meant that you were missing some of the nutrients that make it so healthy? This is the topic of my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Fruits are excellent sources of essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fruit also provides energy in the form of naturally occurring sugar. Whole fruit and fruit juice are considered equivalent in current nutrition recommendations. However, fruit juice has been implicated as a contributor to weight gain and poor health, especially in children.
This is because fruit juice often comes in the form of fruit-flavored drinks that contain little or no actual juice but plenty of added sugar, so they are essentially soda without bubbles. Even though real fruit juice contains about the same amount of sugar and calories as soda or other sweetened drinks, they are not comparable when it comes to nutrition.
One consequence of consuming food and beverages that are flavored like fruit but are actually much sweeter is that it may make real fruit less palatable. People, especially children, may develop an expectation that “fruit” should taste as sweet soda or candy and prefer the sugar-sweetened version over the real fruit.
It seems reasonable that since juice is made from fruit, drinking juice must be the same as eating fruit. This isn’t always the case. Depending on how the juice was made will determine whether it is comparable to eating fruit.
Juice that is pressed is missing some of the nutrients of the fruit, most importantly fiber. A good example is apple juice. Apples contain sugar, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The fiber is in the cell membranes of the apple and the juice, containing the sugar and other nutrients, is in the cells.
When you eat an apple, you are getting all the components of the apple, including the fiber. Apples that are pressed into juice contain the sugar, but not the fiber. In this case, eating the whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.
If the juice is made from whole fruit that is blended it may contain the fiber. Many smoothies are made with whole fruit, so these drinks are comparable to eating fruit. Better yet, some smoothies also include vegetables making them a good source of both fruits and vegetables.
Fruit smoothies are often used as meals or snacks to promote weight loss, but this requires some careful consumption to be effective. Many smoothies contain additional ingredients, some of which contribute nutrients as well as others that simply add sugar and calories. These extra calories can interfere with weight loss.
Additionally, drinking your fruit may lead to overconsumption that you don’t notice. It is far easier to drink juice or a smoothie than it is to eat a piece of fruit, so you are more likely to consume excess sugar and calories with juice. A single 8 oz. serving of apple juice can contain the juice of 3 or more apples. While drinking a glass of apple juice may not seem like a big deal, eating three apples would certainly get your attention!
While eating whole fruit is recommended over drinking juice, the most important thing is to include fruit in your diet. But make sure you are getting 100% real fruit, not sweetened, flavored drinks and snacks that are essentially candy and soda!