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Juice is a staple that’s delicious to drink at any time of day — whether after a workout, with a snack or added to a tropical smoothie. While fruits or vegetables in drinkable form seem healthy, there’s a lot to consider.
Orange juice is the most popular fruit juice in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But go to any supermarket and you’ll find many options beyond OJ — everything from acai berry juice to watermelon juice, plus a variety of blends and cocktails.
Choosing the right kind of juice can mean the difference between a good source of nutrients or little more than sugar water.
Is juice healthy or unhealthy?
Many “juice products” are actually sugar-sweetened beverages — they’re mostly water with added sugars like high fructose corn syrup, so it’s important to look at the label and choose only 100% juice, which is nutrient-dense, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 advise.
Some juice can fit into a healthy diet, says registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, nutrition editor for TODAY.
“Since 100% juice is made from just the fruit or vegetable, it doesn’t have any added sugar,” she notes. “Drinking juice is a good way to get in some nutrients from the food if you can’t meet your daily fruit or veggie intake.”
“It is a way to get nutrients quickly, so you don’t have to exert a lot of effort to get in your vitamins,” Lisa Young, a registered dietitian in New York and author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim,” tells TODAY.com.
The downside is that juice is liquid calories — it’s lower in fiber than whole fruit or vegetables so you don’t register fullness in the same way as when you chew food, Young adds.
When choosing store-bought juice, Rizzo advises looking for products that say “100% juice” on the front and have a fruit or vegetable as the first…
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