Have Your Juice And Drink It Too

Have Your Juice And Drink It Too

Fruit juice (orange, apple, etc.) is one of those drinks that people believe are healthy, simply because it comes from fruit. This is especially true when the label reads that it’s “100% real fruit juice” or made from natural or organic ingredients. Unfortunately, juice is not part of a healthy diet unless it’s freshly squeezed by you.

The primary problem with store bought juices is that they are loaded with sugar. In fact, if you read the labels of these products, you’ll see that every gram of carbohydrate comes directly from sugar.

Now, it’s also true that whole fruit contains large amounts of sugar. However, whole fruit is also packed with vitamins and fiber that are lost during the juice production process and storage.

What about vitamin fortification? Many drinks on the market today advertise that they are fortified with vitamins and minerals. However, these are usually synthetic variations of the real thing, and your body can actually tell the difference. Often, your body will reject (not absorb) the synthetic vitamins and minerals and simply pass them through as waste. To get the full effect from vitamins and minerals, they must be obtained from natural sources like lean meat, whole fruit and vegetables.     

So if you simply must Have Your Juice And Drink It Too, here are some strategies:

1. Buy a quality juicer and make your own juice.

There are so many different variations and combinations of delicious and nutritious juices you can make in a juicer that will give you a significant boost of vitamins, minerals and nutrition. But you still have to watch your sugar intake. These drinks can actually be too good and people may overindulge. A good way to cut back is by mixing the juice 50/50 with water. Another great idea is to mix in vegetables with the fruit. This will allow you to cut back on your sugar intake, while pumping up the nutrition value. This is also a great and sneaky way to get more vegetables in your children’s diet. You should also consider serving the juice with food containing protein and healthy fat to keep balanced blood sugar.     

2. Here’s a great recipe for “tea juice“.

5-6 bags caffeine-free herbal tea (e.g., peach, mint, chamomile, or fruit tea)

3 quarts boiling water

Stevia powder (or liquid) to taste

Pour water over tea bags in a large pot. Add stevia while tea is hot. (Adjust amount
according to the desired sweetness.)

Let the tea cool, remove tea bags, transfer tea to a serving pitcher or individual water bottles, and refrigerate.

3. Make your own DSP approved lemonade.

Mix the juice from half a lemon, 5 drops of liquid stevia and 12oz of water in a large cup. Add more stevia or lemon based on your taste. This drink is a great alternative to people who need a bit more flavor than plain water all day.

So now that you know why juice is not good for you and how you can make your own healthy drink alternatives, why not learn more about which foods will cause you to lose fat?

Rick