There are lots of new products in the market today that offer a serving of fruit and/or vegetables in each glass. But the question is, is this really healthy for me? The answer is YES and NO.
There are 2 rules when it comes to juices: 1. Choose 100% Juice and 2. Limit yourself to 6-8 oz a day at most. When drinking juice, such as orange juice or even V8 fusion, you want to make sure that above the food label it says “100% juice”. This means it is equal to one fruit/vegetable serving. Often juices advertise as “light” or “1/2 the sugar” which is great, but when you look at the food label it only contains 10% juice. If you are going to drink it, you might as well get in your serving of fruit or vegetable. Plus, products like V8 are great for kids who refuse to eat their veggies. The 2nd rule is try to limit kids or yourself to 6-8 oz a day. While it is a whole fruit or vegetable serving, it is loaded with more sugar than you will find in fresh fruit and vegetables. Plus, real fruit and vegetables are high in fiber, another thing juice is lacking. So Bottom line, while juice is healthy, limit yourself to 100% juice, 6-8 oz per day, and get in the rest of your servings from fresh fruits and veggies!
Estelle L. Benoit, RD, LDN
Source: realage.com