Fruit Juice

I want to nip this in the bud right away, fruit juice. I know there is a common belief that 100% fruit juice can be healthy for you. Drink fruit juice as part of a healthy diet. You can have one to two servings of your fruit and vegetables by drinking juice. Lose weight with fruit juice. Well, there is only partial truth to some of these claims. There are two major issues with fruit juices.

The first problem is: the sugar content. Have you read HOW much sugar is in one serving of juice, even 100% juice? There can be anywhere from 25 to 30 grams of sugar or more. Juice cocktails are even worse, some over 40 grams! Most people drink more than one serving at a time, so double those sugar grams, 50 grams of sugar in one sitting. We have talked about sugar and what it does to our insulin levels and the effect insulin has on our weight lose efforts. For a quick refresher, when our insulin levels are constantly elevated, we are in a weight gaining pattern. When they are lower, in the 90's, we are in a fat burning state. This is where we want to be, the "sweet spot". Also, remember when you peak and trough with your insulin levels, this puts you at significant risks for diabetes and insulin resistance. Do you think that 100% fruit juice is still good for you? I hope not. Also think about this, when a diabetic feels "low" as they say, one of the best things for them to drink is orange juice. It will quickly get into their system and raise their levels of sugar and insulin. Not what the rest of want. Even if you do fresh squeezed juice, you need several oranges to make a glass of juice. You would not eat three to four oranges in a sitting, but you can easily drink that much and more.


The second problem: There is no fiber. No matter how many servings of fruit juice you drink, you will still not have any fiber. From those previous posts, we should remember that fiber helps to slow down the uptake of sugar in our system. This is why it is important to eat the whole piece of fruit, with the skins like apples and peaches, grapes or the pulp with an orange. When we eat the whole fruit, that fiber will slow the sugar uptake, thus you will not see a huge spike in insulin levels. Fruit juices do not have this protection. There intake should be limited to rarely.

One of the worst times to consume fruit juices is before bed. Your body is going to put all of that insulin right in to fat storage. It will give you an increase in energy due to the sugar content and then drop you. This can actually cause difficulty sleeping. If you wake frequently in the middle of the night, watch the amount of sugar you are eating in the evenings. What I am sure you will find is, a large consumption of sugar in any of it forms. The drop in insulin will wake you up. The best way to combat this, along with limiting your sugar intake in the evenings is to eat some protein and a little fat. Nuts do the trick very well. Keep some nuts by your bed and when you wake up, eat a small handful and you should find you will go back to sleep quickly and stay asleep. Due to the fat and protein, your insulin levels are going to stay stable. Thus, you will sleep peacefully and soundly through the night.

If you want to eat some fruit, the best way is to eat the whole fruit. Not only will you be getting the fiber, but their is also less sugar in a piece of fruit than there is in the same fruit juice. Be sure to not over consume fruit though, their is a lot of sugar in them, causing weight gain.

Until next time,
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn



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