This is a topic that I have written about before (nutrition: don’t forget the big picture), but after delivering a webinar on childhood obesity, I found myself reflecting on it once again. Sometimes it can seem very unclear whether or not a certain food is good or bad, should be eaten or avoided. In this particular webinar the questionable item was juice. Should we avoid it, or not??
During the webinar on childhood obesity I made the point that juice should be considered carefully because of the sugar content. Many juices have similar amounts of sugar to soda and both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association highlight the link between sugary drinks and obesity. (AAP statement, AHA statment) But of course, some juices are more sugary than others, and they also have other health benefits. If you look at this article on grapefruit juice, you’ll find that there may be plenty of positives including weight loss and insulin response – so what is a good health conscious person to do??
Firstly, step back and look at the big picture and evaluate where you are. Many of us get totally caught up in the details of these issues while we overlook the glaring aspects in front of us. For example, how much sugar is in your life period? If you are someone who eats a muffin for breakfast, some chocolate and candy at work, and never passes up on dessert, then having juices for their potential health benefits (i.e. grapefruit juice for weight loss) is not going to be very effective. You should not be looking to another potential sugar source to be providing you with a key to health or weight-loss. If you are someone who eats very little sugar such as eggs for breakfast, an apple at work, and passes on dessert, then having a little juice somewhere in your day may be a healthy option. In that case the extra sugar is less likely to be a huge problem and you might profit from some of the vitamins and other health benefits.This kind of simple evaluation is often lacking in our dealings with healthy vs. unhealthy, and I think we need to remember it when deciding whether or not to add a juice smoothie or smoothie to our day.
And of course, there is another, even more practical approach to avoiding uncertainty, which is to drink water and eat a real grapefruit. While juices, juice cleanses, diet sodas, and other sugary drinks are questionable, no one is questioning whether or not water is good for you. And whole fruit has recognized advantages over juice, such as natural fiber. This fiber slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and also limits the amount that you are able to consume in one sitting. This is an easy rule of thumb and it actually renders the whole question about whether or not juice is good or bad to the academics, which is sometimes where it should remain.
