Frooti is a mango-flavoured drink made by Parle Agro.
It was first launched in 1985, and presently, it is one of the most widely consumed drinks in India, with a market share of more than 25%.
Often marketed as a fresh and juicy drink due to its high mango content, Frooti has been enjoyed by people for over 35 years. From kids to adults, everyone seems to enjoy this mango-flavoured drink, especially during the summer season.
However, is Frooti good for your health?
While Frooti may be a delicious and refreshing drink, it is not a good choice for those looking to maintain a healthy diet. From high in sugar to loaded with harmful preservatives, there are many reasons that make Frooti bad for your health.
In this post, I have listed 5 reasons why Frooti is not good for your health.
But before that, let’s look at it’s nutritional value and ingredients.
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Nutritional value of Frooti
A 100ml serving of Frooti contains:
- Calories: 65
- Carbohydrates: 16.2g
- Sugar:13.3g
- Fat: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Calcium: 8mg
Ingredients in Frooti
The key ingredients that are used in making Frooti includes:
- Water
- Mango pulp(19.5%)
- Sugar
- Acidity regulators(INS330)
- Preservatives(INS211, INS224, INS202)
- Antioxidant(INS300)
- Colour(110)
- Flavour
5 Reasons why Frooti is not good for your health
No nutritional value as compared to real mango
Do you drink Frooti thinking of it as real mango juice?
Frooti might be made from Mango pulp, but that’s only 19.5%. The rest of the drink is water and additives.
A closer look at the nutritional information reveals that Frooti is quite low in nutrients compared to a real mango.
For example, a 100ml serving of Frooti has no vitamin C, while a real mango contains over 60% of the recommended daily intake.
In addition, Frooti lacks other important nutrients like protein, fiber and potassium.
So while Frooti may taste somewhat like real mango juice, it surely isn’t nutritionally powerful as fresh real mango juice.
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High in sugar
One of the most important reasons Frooti is bad for your health is its high sugar content.
Frooti is loaded with sugar. A small tetra pack of Frooti, which weighs around 150ml, contains a whopping 20 grams of sugar.
That’s about eating 5 teaspoons of sugar.
According to the American heart association, men should not consume more than 9 teaspoons of sugar, women should not consume more than 6 teaspoons of sugar, and for kids, it’s 6 teaspoons.
That means a single small tetra pack of Frooti that roughly costs around Rs 10 exhaust 55% of the sugar limit for men and 83% for women and kids.
And then most people also eat other sugar-rich foods that increase their overall sugar intake more than recommended per day.
You might not know, but a diet that is high in sugar is linked to various health risks such as:
- Weight gain
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Depression
- Aging
Unnecessary calories
Calories are surely an important part of a diet. That’s because they are the source of energy for the body.
But what if I gave you the option to choose calories from a sugary drink made with preservatives or real fruit?
What would you choose? Obviously, the calories from fruits because they are good calories.
Frooti is loaded with calories, and they are not healthy calories. In fact, 80% of Frooti’s calories come from sugar, which will be damaging to your body if consumed over a long period of time.
People usually get enough calories from their regular diet. Therefore, consuming Frooti will add extra, unnecessary calories, which might result in weight gain and excess fat in the body.
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Use of harmful preservatives
The Frooti claims it is made of real mango pulp with no preservatives.
No preservatives? Seriously?
On the Ingredients label, Frooti has shown that it contains permitted preservatives (INS 211, INS 224, INS 202).
While the food authorities permit these preservatives, some sources show that these preservatives may pose some health risks.
The first preservative is sodium benzoate(INS 211), which as per a source, has been linked to Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) in children. It can also increase the risk of inflammation, stress, obesity and skin allergies.
The second preservative is Potassium metabisulphite(INS224). This preservative, as per the source, is harmful to individuals who are intolerant to natural sulphites. It can cause damage to the eyes, skin irritation and difficulty breathing.
The last preservative is Potassium sorbate (INS202). As per a source, excess food intake containing this preservative can cause side effects such as asthma, skin irritation and digestive issues. Also, it can cause a nutrient loss in foods containing it.
Do you think you need all these preservatives in your food?
They are just added to increase the shelf life of the drinks like Frooti and make them taste better.
More than that, it does nothing good for your health but poses many health risks.
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Use of synthetic food colour
For a moment, you may think that the yellow colour of Frooti might come from the mango pulp.
But then, what is the need to add a synthetic food colour?
Frooti uses a food colouring agent called Sunset yellow FCF (110). While this colouring is allowed in food and drinks, people with asthma should avoid all foods containing it.
According to a source, this colour is thought to worsen asthma and may pose other health risks such as vomiting, headache and nausea.
What’s more, INS110 colour, in combination with benzoate (which is in Frooti), can provoke hyperactivity in some children.
Food colours surely make your drinks more appealing, but they don’t have any nutritional benefits and pose many health risks.
Therefore, it’s wiser to sidestep drinks with these food colours.
Final words
Not only Frooti but many other so-called mango-flavoured drinks in the market are loaded with sugar and unhealthy preservatives.
These drinks might satisfy your taste buds for the moment, but they come with many health risks.
So to conclude, Frooti is not good for your health, and regular consumption of it can lead to weight gain, obesity, excess fat and diabetes. Additionally, if you are already going through some health condition, it’s best to avoid its consumption.
If you really want to drink a mango-flavoured drink, opt for a glass of fresh mango juice instead.
I know it’s not possible to have a glass of mango juice for the whole year. But nature has given us a lot of different fruits to enjoy every season.
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