Fruit juice is convenient. Juice is refreshing. Juice is healthy. Stop! Is juice really healthy?

As so often in life: It depends. More precisely, it depends on the type of juice. Much of what you see in a normal grocery store is not a fruit juice, it’s a fruit drink. With added sugar. It should be immediately clear that added sugar won’t help you to lose weight permanently.

So the first thing to do before buying bottled juice is to have a look at the label. If the manufacturer had to add sugar, the extra calories will show up on your scale.

Then check: Is the juice made from concentrate? If yes, it means it has been heated up for a while to get the water out and to produce the concentrate. Heating food always diminishes vitamins and minerals. So- go for “not from concentrate” juice.

Does it contain pulp? Pulp will not only give you fiber what will make you feel full longer, making it easier to lose weight permanently. Pulp contains a lot of minerals as well, especially calcium.

Is it 100% juice? If not, it has been watered down- and often contains additional artificial flavors and chemicals. None of those should be part of healthy, natural nutrition.

How does drinking juice relate to eating the whole fruit? Let’s take oranges for an example. 1 cup of oranges contains 14 grams of carbohydrates. 1 cup of orange juice contains 26 grams – nearly double the amount. And that’s only if the orange juice is non-sweetened, with no additional sugar added. So, if you want to limit your calorie intake in order to lose weight permanently, eat the whole fruit and don’t drink juice.

In addition, the whole fruit takes longer to digest. You’re avoiding spikes in your blood sugar, what helps eliminating cravings for sweets.

If you are interested in healthy nutrition, eating the whole fruit is even more important. You’ll get the pulp, the vitamins and the minerals directly in their freshest.

And don’t forget: Water and tea are always no-calorie options if you are thirsty.

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