Food

The Scary Downside To Fruit Juices, According To Nutritionists—We Didn’t See It Coming!

June 20, 2022 by Faith Geiger
shefinds | Food

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—and that doesn’t just include your food. The beverage you drink each morning can play a major role in how you feel throughout the day. Over time, it may also greatly affect your overall health. Unfortunately, if you’re a fruit juice loyalist, you may be setting yourself up for some serious health consequences.

To learn more about the negative effects of store bought fruit juice, we spoke to health experts Tania Long, nutritionist for Meal Fan, and Beth Hawkes, MSN, RN-BC of Nurse Code. They told us that this high-sugar beverage can lead to bloating, a slower metabolism, and weight gain.

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Bloating and Slowed Metabolism 

Don't be fooled by the fact that juice contains fruit—unfortunately, health experts say that doesn't make it healthy, especially when it's packed with sugar. If you're sipping on sugary OJ every morning, you'll likely run into digestive issues such as bloating, a slowed metabolism, inflammation, and, eventually, weight gain. In fact, it could end up being even worse for you that a can of Cola. Yikes! That's certainly not a good way to start your morning. 

"While it may seem like you're making a good choice by selecting fruit juice over soda, the sugar level in fruit juice might be much higher than the sugar content of soda," Long warns. Hawkes agrees: "Fruit juices are often packed with sugar," she states. "For example, there are about 31 grams of sugar in a 12-ounce serving of orange juice, which is more than the 22 grams found in the same amount of cola." 

Long notes that in addition to a number of other health concerns, a high-sugar diet can lead to a plethora of digestive issues. "If you have a bacterial imbalance in your stomach, the added sugar can induce severe bloating because yeast and bacteria thrive on it," she explains. 

There's another issue at hand, too: amidst all that sugar, there's virtually no nutritional value in sight. "Unlike a piece of fruit, fruit juice contains no fiber to limit the body's absorption of sugar, resulting in an insulin surge," Long says.

Hawkes adds that a lack of fiber makes it hard to stay fuller longer, and drinking fruit juice regularly "makes weight loss impossible" due to a slowed metabolism. "When you consume such a quantity of the sweet stuff, your levels of blood glucose soar into the stratosphere," she says. "This tells our metabolism to slow down and thus burn fewer calories which leads us towards gaining weight instead." That's no good!

We don't blame you if you find the idea of cutting store-bought juice out of your diet difficult, especially if you prefer to drink it with your breakfast every morning. However, there are many healthier options to consider that can still be just as delicious! Fresh green juice is a great, high-fiber alternative—even better if you make it at home! When you concoct juice in your own kitchen, you can control exactly what you're putting into your body, which means you can reap all the benefits of a tasty juice without the health risks that come with all that sugar. 

Author:

Editorial Assistant

Faith Geiger is a New York-based writer and editor. When she's not covering the latest in health and wellness for SheFinds, she spends her time watching reality TV with her roommates, browsing used bookstores, and enjoying live music. You can reach Faith at [email protected].

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