Health experts and well-meaning mothers often tell us that soft drinks are unhealthy and we should choose fruit juice instead. Fruit juice and soft drinks are similar in terms of sugar and calories.
Let me give a disclaimer before you start venting below: Fruit juice has a few redeeming benefits that make soft drinks a bit better. cranberry and prune juices can help reduce urinary tract infection risk. Many juices also contain micronutrients like vitamin C and potassium.
These nutrients can be found in many foods. Vitamin C and potassium deficiencies are not a major public health issue in Australia.
Fruit juices are often regarded as healthy, because they contain “natural sugars”. Fruit juice contains natural sugars, which are a mixture of fructose and sucrose, along with glucose. However, the amount (and kilojoules), is comparable to soft drinks.
Children who drink fruit juice tend to be heavier than those who do not. Xavi Telleda
It is misleading to use the term “natural”, as sugar (sucrose), which is found in Australian soft drinks, is as natural as sugar that is in Australian fruit juices because they are both made from sugar cane. Both juice and sugar are processed foods.
Sugar must be consumed or else it will lead to weight gain. Next time you queue up at your favorite juice bar to get a large, freshly squeezed concoction, think about that. This one drink could contain up to 10 pieces fruit, and has probably enough kilojoules for you to meet 10% of your daily energy requirements.
There is evidence that suggests feelings of satiety (fullness) are reduced after eating liquids (especially clearer fluids), as opposed to solid foods.
It could be because the liquid moves quickly through the stomach and the intestines. This gives less time for the body to signal satiety. It increases the risk of consuming too much energy, which can lead to weight gain or weight loss.
In a study by Deakin University researchers, it was found that the more fruit juice Australian schoolchildren consumed, the greater their risk of being overweight. This is compared to kids who did not drink fruit juice. In children from low-income families, a similar relationship was found between increased fruit consumption and weight gain.
Soft drinks have the same amount of sugar and calories as fruit juice. Enrst Vikne
You miss out on all the fiber when you drink fruit rather than eat it. Fibre is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system and controlling weight. Most Australians don’t get the recommended 30 grams of fiber for men and 25 for women, as recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Fibre is also helpful in protecting against colorectal, which is the second most common cancer that kills Australians every year after lung cancer. In a most recent update of the most comprehensive report on the role that food, nutrition, and physical activity play in cancer, the World Cancer Research Fund raised the level of evidence relating foods with fiber to protection against colorectal carcinoma from “probable.”
Drinking too much soft drinks or fruit juice can make it difficult to maintain or lose weight. Water is the best option if you want to drink something. Fruit is best eaten, not drunk.
