in | 25 Jul 2019

THE JUICY DETAILS ON SUGAR

Time and time again, we get a few of the same questions. One such question is about our gorgeous, delicious fruit juices and whether they’re really all that healthy. Many people worry that because they are so irresistible, thanks to that lovely, subtle sweetness, they might not actually be that good for your body. Today, we are here to dispel the rumours.

 

Fruit juice IS good for you!!

 

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: eat more fruit and vegetables. But we have a sneaking suspicion you may have also heard that sugar is bad for you, even fruit sugar. And with all of this conflicting information, you’re probably caught somewhere in the middle, confused as to what you should and shouldn’t eat. And though fruit and starchy vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes are high in fructose, they are real, whole foods that are truly wonderful for the body. Because the sugar in fruit juice is natural, your body does not actually store it in the same way that it would refined. And you are actually consuming far more sugar when you eat bread or other processed products than you are when drinking a fruit juice, just without any of the beneficial vitamins and nutrients.

 

Fruit juice – think of The Reset, The Glow and The Pro – are high in a natural sugar called fructose. That’s why they taste so delicious! Because we’ve all been inundated with the dangers of high-fructose corn syrup (and rightly so, if you ask us), people have started to panic. They’ve started to associate the healthful, natural sugars found in strawberries, oranges, blueberries and other fruit with high-fructose corn syrup, the sweetener made from processed corn starch. High-fructose corn syrup, unlike natural fructose, is associated with insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Thankfully, naturally-occurring fructose has none of those effects.

 

When you drink our juices like The Glow or The Bedrock or nibble on fresh whole fruit like an apple, you are also consuming lots of water and soluble fibre (plus insoluble fibre in the case of whole fruit). This means that during digestion, it will actually take the fructose longer to hit the liver, making it better for you. Whole fruit and juices also tend to be quite filling! After we drink The Iron Man, we’re usually satiated for quite some time, which will lead to an overall lower consumption of sugars, whether fructose or otherwise.

 

Most people don’t consume enough fruit at all, so adding in a few fruit juices here and there can actually provide a healthy dose of all the vitamins and nutrients you need. You just need to make sure you’re always choosing 100-percent fruit juice, and cold-pressed at that. That way, you’re avoiding any of the nasty additives like chemicals and additional sugar that might be lurking in commercially produced juices. “Fruit drinks” that you find at the supermarket often only contain a very small amount of juice and are instead packed with added sugar like HFCS.

 

With all that in mind, you may still be a bit wary of consuming loads and loads of fruit juice, so moderation is key. Treat the tasty, all-fruit juices as treats (they are way more delicious and way healthier than anything you’d normally reach for come dessert time) and supplement these with mixed fruit and veggie juices or even all green juices like The Fix or The MOAJ. You can also opt for smoothies like our Mango Green Protein in order to load up on both soluble and insoluble fibre, keeping you fuller, longer.


Now what is the moral of this story? Fruit juice is healthy. Don’t be fooled by those naysayers out there, but do keep an eye out on the amount you’re drinking. As with many things in life, moderation is a good motto.