One big myth is that fruit juice is a healthy part of our diet. Wrong. Drinking a glass of fruit juice a day — which is the equivalent of one soft drink of 110 to 180 calories — has been linked in the U.S., Australia and Spain to increased calorie intake and higher risks of diabetes and heart disease.
Fruit juices contribute to weight gain and increased health risks, and antioxidant water is a marketing ploy.
Eating a piece of fruit provides vitamins, fiber and, best of all, tends to reduce intake of other food. Most fruit juices are just sugary beverages, providing extra calories — all from refined carbohydrates — without sating appetite. And this is true whether you drink apple or orange juice or one of the fancy new juices like acai berry or pomegranate juice. The added calories can contribute to weight gain and increased risk of both diabetes and heart disease.
A second myth surrounds foods and waters, which are heavily marketed for their antioxidant properties. Consumption of fruits and vegetables is linked with decreased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke and some benefits for various cancers. Some foods, like dark chocolate, which has antioxidants, are also linked in careful scientific research to reduced risk of heart disease.
But none of the antioxidant waters, which are very popular, have shown any health benefits, despite their indirect marketing pitches. Essentially, what one is buying is expensive water with sweeteners and some flavorings and supplements added. However, just as almost all studies of antioxidants provided as supplements have found no benefits, we would not expect to find them added to water to produce any benefits, either. --Dr. Barry Popkin
Dr. Popkin is right that supplements and juices provide little antioxidant benefit but what he leaves out of this article is that another way of realizing the many benefits of eating fruits and vegetables is to take Juice Plus+. Dozens upon dozens of gold standard research efforts have proven that Juice Plus+ is the next best thing to eating fruits and vegetables, and in a day and age where 95% of Americans DON'T eat enough (9-13 servings a day) it's reassuring to know that for the very affordable cost of $42 a month, you can realize the benefits from 17 different fruits and vegetables--EVERY day!
"If you can't, won't or don't eat 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, TAKE JUICE PLUS+" Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld on FOXNews
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