Core Tip: What's good to eat in winter? Some might say to choose fruit juice. But be careful, drinking juice has certain risks, so you need to read this carefully.
After carbonated drinks were listed by numerous nutrition experts as unhealthy, juice manufacturers promptly labeled their products as "healthy" to attract the health-conscious and trendy urban professionals. In reality, juice producers are merely using a series of marketing tactics to make you believe how "healthy" and "fashionable" their products are.
The juices on the market mainly come in three types: fruit-flavored drinks that have little to do with actual fruit, juice drinks that contain a certain percentage of juice, and pure juice. Let's analyze each one to see what is truly "healthy" and "unhealthy" about them.
Juice Crime #1: Higher Calories Than Soda
According to US media reports, more and more doctors, scientists, and public health officials believe that drinking pure fruit juice is not necessarily beneficial to health. The obesity caused by drinking natural juice is no different from that caused by drinking soda and other sugary alcoholic beverages.
A glass of juice combines the sugar from multiple fruits. When calculated on an equal volume basis, the calories in juice can even be higher than in soda.
You might be surprised that a 240ml glass of pure juice generally contains about 100 calories, which is slightly more than cola, widely regarded as an "obesity drink."
Data from the US Department of Agriculture shows that a glass of fresh orange juice contains 112 calories, apple juice 114 calories, and grape juice 152 calories. The same amount of Coca-Cola contains 97 calories, and Pepsi contains 100 calories.
Usually, a person feels full after eating one apple, but it takes four apples to make a small amount of juice. Even if you drink it all, you don't feel full. Yet, this glass of juice contains far more calories than a single apple. This is even more true for juice drinks, as a significant portion of them have added sugar. Liu Fang, a physician in the endocrinology department, explains, "Currently, there is a large body of international research on juice and juice drinks, and many studies are aimed at protecting children from type 2 diabetes."
Juice Crime #2: More Likely to Increase Fat Accumulation
Additionally, juice contains a lot of fructose. Stanhope, a scientist at the University of California, pointed out that consuming large amounts of fructose increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes because fructose is more easily converted into fat by the liver than glucose.
Many studies show that juice is beneficial for health and can help reduce weight. In 2008, a survey of 3,618 children aged 2 to 11 found that children who drank at least 6 ounces (about 177ml) of juice daily were lighter than those who didn't drink juice at all and had more vitamins and minerals in their bodies. However, many experts believe this data only reflects a correlation between juice and a healthy diet, not a causal relationship.
Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, pointed out: "Children who drink more juice are more likely to eat breakfast, and children who eat breakfast are lighter than those who don't."
Juice Crime #3: Get You Addicted to Sweet Drinks in 8 Days
Furthermore, experts are also concerned that children who drink large amounts of sweet beverages will develop a preference for sweet foods as they grow up. A 2004 Dutch study found that after 8 to 10-year-olds drank sugary orange juice for 8 consecutive days, they preferred sweeter drinks. They also drank more because they had become accustomed to the sweet taste of the orange juice.
Juice Crime #4: Artificial Colors Lower IQ
Whether it's fruit-flavored drinks or low-concentration juice drinks, artificial colors are used. Bright colors visually link the drink to fruit in the consumer's mind. When the juice content is too low to give the drink a vibrant fruit color, cheap artificial colors are the best choice.
The harm of artificial colors to the human body, especially children, has long been studied in modern nutrition.
In 2008, researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK surveyed 100 children and found that artificial synthetic colors can affect children's intellectual development. Children who often drink juice and little water often have poor appetite, are hyperactive, have irritable tempers, and are underweight in height and weight. Seven chemical additives, including Tartrazine and Sunset Yellow, can lower children's IQ by 5 points. Tartrazine is a yellow food additive found in pea puree and marshmallows and is banned in foods and drinks for children under 3. Quinoline Yellow is a common food additive in juice drinks, sodas, and cold capsules. The preservative sodium benzoate, widely used in juice drinks, is also harmful to the body.
An excessive amount of pigment entering a child's body can easily settle on their immature digestive tract mucosa, causing decreased appetite and indigestion, interfering with the function of multiple enzymes in the body, and adversely affecting metabolism and physical development.
Obviously, fruit-flavored drinks made with food additives like artificial colors, sweeteners, acidulants, and flavors, and containing no juice, have almost no nutritional value of fruit.
Juice Crime #5: Can Juice Cause Anemia?
In addition, fructose can also hinder the human body's absorption of copper. A lack of copper will affect the production of hemoglobin, leading to anemia. A retrospective survey of over 100 anemic children at the Einstein Medical Center found that more than 80% had a habit of drinking juice.
Domestic survey data shows that children who are fond of drinking juice have polarized physical development—they are either too thin or too overweight. Because the sugar content in juice-type drinks is too high, children can obtain a lot of energy from them, affecting their regular meals. In the long run, this will inevitably lead to insufficient intake of protein, certain vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, affecting physical and intellectual development.
Therefore, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children aged 1-6 drink no more than 4-6 ounces of juice per day (one ounce is 28ml), and children aged 7-18 drink no more than 8-12 ounces.