FEELING JUICY
I think one of the biggest issues we face in today's times when it comes to food and nutrition is that there are so many choices and so many different messages being 'fired' at us from food manufacturers, it's often hard to know if you really are making the best choice for your health and your waistline.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that fruit juices are good for us and because they are made from fruit (the label says 100% fruit, so you would think so!) we can have lots.
Now it's not that fruit juices are 'unhealthy' as such, but they are definitely not all equal and they are highly concentrated in calories, so not something that should be consumed without taking into consideration the extra calories they are adding to your daily diet.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that fruit juices are good for us and because they are made from fruit (the label says 100% fruit, so you would think so!) we can have lots.
Now it's not that fruit juices are 'unhealthy' as such, but they are definitely not all equal and they are highly concentrated in calories, so not something that should be consumed without taking into consideration the extra calories they are adding to your daily diet.
Australian Nutrition Guidelines recommend we eat 2 serves of fresh fruit every day and drink only 125ml of fruit juice, if any . Because of the amount of sugar and kilojoules in juice not much different in fact to soft drinks. So if your giving your kids juice instead of soft drinks think again
Healthy Kids and the Dietitian’s Association of Australia recommend water to be the first drink of choice with one small glass (125mls) of fruit juice daily being an appropriate serve size for everyone, including children. May be try a bit of diet cordial if needed to get them on water.
Fresh fruit is low in energy (kilojoules). But we all know how little juice comes out when you squeeze it. You need to use several pieces of fruit to get a small cup. So drinking fruit juice or the energy from the fruit is equal to eating a big quanity of fruit.
The vitamin C in fruit makes the juice highly acidic, and together with all those concentrated natural sugars can lead to tooth erosion and decay as well as weight gain. By eating whole fruit, you not only get the juice, but all the goodness from the flesh, including the fibre, which helps to maintain a healthy digestive system and control appetites.
Sugar, whether natural or not, provides little else other than instant energy. And if you cant use that energy guess where it goes. The nutritional benefits associated with natural sugars come from other parts of the foods they are found in – like the protein and calcium in dairy foods and the antioxidants and fibre in the flesh of the
Healthy Kids and the Dietitian’s Association of Australia recommend water to be the first drink of choice with one small glass (125mls) of fruit juice daily being an appropriate serve size for everyone, including children. May be try a bit of diet cordial if needed to get them on water.
Fresh fruit is low in energy (kilojoules). But we all know how little juice comes out when you squeeze it. You need to use several pieces of fruit to get a small cup. So drinking fruit juice or the energy from the fruit is equal to eating a big quanity of fruit.
The vitamin C in fruit makes the juice highly acidic, and together with all those concentrated natural sugars can lead to tooth erosion and decay as well as weight gain. By eating whole fruit, you not only get the juice, but all the goodness from the flesh, including the fibre, which helps to maintain a healthy digestive system and control appetites.
Sugar, whether natural or not, provides little else other than instant energy. And if you cant use that energy guess where it goes. The nutritional benefits associated with natural sugars come from other parts of the foods they are found in – like the protein and calcium in dairy foods and the antioxidants and fibre in the flesh of the
fruit.
Natural sugars are extracted from fruit to sweeten processed foods like muesli bars, biscuits and frozen deserts. Fruit sugars used like this as marked as ‘fruit juice concentrates’ on product labels and under Australian Food Law, are not classified as being ‘added sugars’.so watch this when your reading food labels!
These days there are so many fruit products ranging from fruit-based drinks to 99% fruit juices.
Manufacturing processes to turn juice into these forms can remove some of the nutrients it would naturally contain. In its freshly squeezed form, vitamins found in juice are sensitive to heat and time meaning that the longer the juice sits un-refrigerated, the fewer vitamins it will contain.
To maintain the quality of juice and extend its shelf life, manufacturers use a variety of processes that effect the nutritional value. So it isn’t uncommon to see fortified juice products - where vitamins and minerals are added back into the juice. Lots better to eat the fresh fruit and get all the vitamins and nutrients that way.
A manufacturing process used to extend the life of juice is called “deionization”.
It works by stripping away the colours and flavours to make a clear product that lasts longer. Different flavours and colours are then added back into the juice to produce the product doesn’t sound that grate. When they make the product this way its closer to a soft drink then fresh juice.
Manufacturers don’t have to declare the juice has undergone deionization so remember the more processed the product appears, the greater the chance it has undergone the process.
Natural sugars are extracted from fruit to sweeten processed foods like muesli bars, biscuits and frozen deserts. Fruit sugars used like this as marked as ‘fruit juice concentrates’ on product labels and under Australian Food Law, are not classified as being ‘added sugars’.so watch this when your reading food labels!
These days there are so many fruit products ranging from fruit-based drinks to 99% fruit juices.
Manufacturing processes to turn juice into these forms can remove some of the nutrients it would naturally contain. In its freshly squeezed form, vitamins found in juice are sensitive to heat and time meaning that the longer the juice sits un-refrigerated, the fewer vitamins it will contain.
To maintain the quality of juice and extend its shelf life, manufacturers use a variety of processes that effect the nutritional value. So it isn’t uncommon to see fortified juice products - where vitamins and minerals are added back into the juice. Lots better to eat the fresh fruit and get all the vitamins and nutrients that way.
A manufacturing process used to extend the life of juice is called “deionization”.
It works by stripping away the colours and flavours to make a clear product that lasts longer. Different flavours and colours are then added back into the juice to produce the product doesn’t sound that grate. When they make the product this way its closer to a soft drink then fresh juice.
Manufacturers don’t have to declare the juice has undergone deionization so remember the more processed the product appears, the greater the chance it has undergone the process.
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