Very rich in sugar and low in vitamins, certain fruit juices do not present any major nutritional benefit. Here’s how to make sure you choose a good quality juice from the supermarket, with as little sugar as possible.
Even if European regulations prohibit the addition of sugar in supermarket fruit juices (directive 2012/12), this type of drink remains very high in carbohydrates. We are talking more precisely about fructose, a type of sugar naturally present in fruits, which is directly metabolized in the liver. Excessive consumption of this type of sugar can ultimately promote the development of fats in the liver, which may be associated with a risk of develop diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
It is interesting to know that some fruit juices contain as much sugar as sodas (even if it is not the same type of sugar, as you will have understood). Allow on average 10 grams of sugar, or 2 cubes of sugar, for 100 mL of fruit juice. Either 4 to 5 cubes of sugar for a full glasst. However, certain fruit juices remain rich in vitamins, particularly vitamin C, and are very popular with breakfast. To make the most of their benefits, and be sure to consume a quality product, you must pay attention to certain criteria. A subject on which the magazine was interested Vital Food in its latest summer issue.
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Industrial fruit juice: information to watch out for
The “no added sugars” label does not really bring added value to fruit juices, whose regulations prohibit the addition of sugar in any case (except for nectars). The magazine instead advises scrutinize the “pure juice” mention : “ This mention guarantees a drink made from 100% fruit, without the slightest addition. Avoid “concentrated juice” products, obtained from dehydrated fruit juice then reconstituted with water, a transformation which eliminates all the nutritional qualities of the fruits”.
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You sometimes find “desweetened” fruit juices from which a significant amount of sugar has been removed by dilution (by adding water, coconut water or green vegetable juice) or by extraction. We thus go from 6 to 7 grams of sugar per 100 mL of juice, instead of 10 grams of sugar per 100 mL for a classic fruit juice.
Favor industrial fruit juices from the fresh sections
As the magazine explains, the fruit juices found in the fresh sections of supermarkets are often of much better quality: “The fruit juices found there have undergone a “flash pasteurization” process which allows better preservation of their vitamin C (very fragile, this vitamin dissipates when heated or exposed to light)”. We find in particular those of the Andros and Innocent brand.
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Also be aware that some types of fruit are naturally less sweet than others. Grapefruit juice, for example, contains on average 7 grams of sugar per 100 mL, compared to pineapple juice which has 12 grams of sugar per 100 mL or apple juice with 9 grams of sugar per 100 mL.
Head of beauty/fitness/nutrition sections
After working for the Marie Claire and Prisma Media groups, Inès arrived at aufeminin in April 2022. Responsible for the beauty, fitness and nutrition sections, she likes to decipher the latest…