DID you know there’s something you might be drinking every day because you think it’s a healthy drink which is actually making you put on weight? When I was a girl, my mum always used to tell me to drink lots of orange juice because it would keep me well. Yours probably did the same. So imagine how horrified I was to discover that orange juice is only a healthy drink when it’s the fresh (expensive) variety.
The concentrated stuff we buy from the supermarket because it’s half the price of freshly squeezed is actually little more than sugar water. I recently read research that said one carton of concentrated juice was found to contain as much sugar as 13 Hobknobs.
The problem with concentrate is that the makers take out most of the fibre in the manufacturing process.
When we eat unprocessed fruit, fibre forms a protective layer that acts as a barrier to the intestine. This slows the absorption of sugar, so the liver has a chance to catch up. In fizzy drinks, fruit juices and smoothies, the barrier has gone, which leads to the liver being overloaded.
The other great problem is that fruit juices – which is how many of us get our five a day – are high in fructose, which affects blood sugar levels. Any sugar that the body doesn’t need is converted to fat – and we’re getting bigger.
In its natural unprocessed state, freshly squeezed fruit juice (the really healthy drink) contains far more water weight per volume than that of a concentrated version. So, one cup of non diluted concentrate juice will contain purely sugars and nutrients found within the fruit, while the same serving size of bottled juice varieties will contain only a fraction of those same nutrients.
So my advice is stop buying concentrated drinks like orange, apple or cranberry and start eating the real thing. You’ll be doing your body a lot more good by consuming a fresh, healthy drink.
