Consumption of fruits or their juice is considered very beneficial for the body. Fruit juice contains a lot of nutrients that can help give strength to the body, keeping you safe from many types of diseases. Regular consumption of fruit juices like pomegranate, orange, seasonal, and pineapple has been said to be very beneficial for health. But do you consume packed juices available in the market?
Health experts say fruit juices are considered beneficial for you only when you consume fresh fruit juice. Fruit-packed juices are easily available in the market, their taste is also the same and companies also claim that they can have many health benefits.
But are packed juices as beneficial as fresh fruit juices? Should everyone consume it? Let us know.
Packaged juices may contain harmful elements.
To ensure the easy availability of fruit juices around the world, the trend of packaged juices has increased rapidly. Although these juices contain fruit juice, often flavors and food colors are also added to make them more tasty. Many types of preservatives are added to these juices so that they do not spoil for a long time. Apart from all this, the amount of added sugar is also high in packed juices. All these elements can be harmful to the body.
In addition, a January 2019 report said that many packaged fruit juices may contain lead or other metals.
What did the studies find out?
24 national and private label brands selling packaged juices in the US were investigated. In this, 45 types of juices with different flavors were tested. According to the report, many of them had very high levels of lead. These metals can cause neurodevelopmental problems in children.
Apart from this, many popular brands that sell apple juice have up to 14 grams of sugar in one can. This is equivalent to about 3 teaspoons of sugar. Studies have said that added sugar can be very harmful to our bodies.
What do dieticians say?
Dietician Parul Sharma says many elements present with fruit juice in packaged juice can have harmful effects. Especially the amount of added sugar in it can increase many problems like obesity, and diabetes. People who have diabetes should avoid consuming such juices.
Juices that do not contain preservatives do not have a long shelf life. Studies have found that consuming things with preservatives for a long time increases many types of chronic diseases. This is the reason why packed juices are not protective compared to fresh juices.
Whole fruits are more beneficial.
Dietician says, it is more beneficial to consume whole fruits with peel and pulp instead of juice, more fiber can be obtained from this. Fiber helps reduce the risk of many types of cancer, and control cholesterol and blood pressure. Apart from this, whole fruits also contain more vitamins. Their quantity gets reduced during the process of making juice.
If you cannot consume fruits, then drink fresh fruit juice. Consumption of packed juices should be minimized. They are not as beneficial as described in advertisements.
(PC: ISTOCK)
