Orange Juice is Healthy?

Fruit juice unhealthy!

Fruit juice isn’t the healthy drink you think it is.

The reason? The American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that juice is responsible for rising rates of obesity and dental problems, especially in very young children. Fruit juice is not a good substitute for fresh fruit and just packs in more sugar and calories.

Sugary beverages are estimated to be one of the major causes of the obesity. These drinks (soda and sports drinks) are the largest single source of added sugars. All efforts have focused on sodas.
But not juice!!

We tend to associate juice with healthfulness, and we are unaware of its relationship to weight gain.
Juice has been marketed as a natural source of vitamins and calcium.

Despite all this marketing fruit juices contain limited nutrients and lots of sugar. In fact, one 360 ml glass of orange juice contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, and it is 12 teaspoons in a can of soda.

Drinking fruit juice is not the same as eating whole fruit. While eating certain fruits like apples and pears is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, drinking fruit juice is associated with the opposite.

Juices contain more concentrated sugar and calories. They also have less fiber, which makes you feel full. Because juice can be consumed quickly, it is more likely than whole fruit to contribute to excess carbohydrate intake.

Researchers have found that adults who drank apple juice before a meal felt hungrier and ate more calories than those who started with an apple instead.

Children’s excessive consumption of juice has been linked to an increased risk of weight gain, shorter stature and cavities. Even in the absence of weight gain, sugar consumption worsens blood pressure and increases cholesterol.

There is no evidence that juice improves health. It should be treated like other sugary beverages.
Parents should instead serve water and focus on trying to increase children’s intake of whole fruit.