Real fruit juice was launched in 1997 and gained immense popularity among people. Today it has the broadest range of fruit beverages with more than 20 exciting variants such as Exotic Indian Mango, Guava, Litchi, Jamun, Pomegranate, Tomato, Cranberry, Grape, Mixed Fruit, Orange, etc.
From children to adults, everyone seems to enjoy the delicious taste of Real fruit juice.
But is Real fruit juice good for your health? Is Real fruit juice as healthy as it claims to be?
If you are looking for answers to these questions, you are at the right place. In this post I have compiled a list of 7 reasons why Real juice is not good for your health.
Important note: There are many flavours of Real juice available on the market, and it is not possible to review every single one. For this reason, I have chosen to focus on Real’s Mixed Fruit Juice, one of the most popular types of juice sold.
Let’s get started.
Also read: Are Paper Boat Juices Healthy? Everything You Need To Know
Ingredients In Real fruit juice
Because Real juice comes in different flavours, all the variants have different ingredients. However, the most common ingredients that are used in Real fruit juices include water, concentrated fruit juice, sugar, acidity regulators (INS 330), Antioxidant (INS 300), Stabilizer (INS 440), Natural colours and flavours.
Let’s see some of the ingredients in detail.
Concentrated fruit juice
Concentrated fruit juice is made by removing the water from natural fruit juice. This process can be done through evaporation, freeze-drying, or other methods. The resulting product is a concentrated powder or syrup that is low in nutrients than the original fruit.
Acidity regulators
Acidity regulators are chemicals used to control the acidity or basicity of a substance. In the food industry, these chemicals regulate the pH of foods and prevent the growth of microorganisms.
All variants of Real fruit juice use the INS 330 acidity regulator, also called citric acid. No, it’s not natural citric acid found in different citrus fruits.
Antioxidant
The use of antioxidants has become increasingly popular in the food industry due to their ability to extend the shelf life of food products. Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation, which is the chemical reaction that causes food to spoil. By adding antioxidants to food, manufacturers can keep food fresh for extended periods.
Stabilizer
Stabilizer INS 440 is a food additive used to maintain the texture, appearance, and flavour of food products. In juices, it is used to maintain the stability of pulp.
Sugar
Besides concentrated juice, sugar is also the key ingredient in Real fruit juice and one of the many reasons why Real fruit juice might not be good for your health.
7 Reasons Real Juice Is not Good For Health
Real juice contains added sugar
While Real fruit juice may taste delicious, it is often high in sugar. A 200ml small pack contains 16gm of added sugar, equivalent to approximately 4 teaspoons.
If you or your child drink 2 small packs of Real fruit juice, this equates to 32gm of sugar, which is more than the limit recommended on a daily basis.
In addition to sugar from Real fruit juice, you also consume sugar from other food sources. This can lead to an excess of sugar in your body, which may contribute to various health issues in the long run, such as
- Weight gain
- Obesity
- diabetes
- Fatty liver
- Heart disease
- and Inflammation
If you are concerned about the sugar content, you can go for the sugar-free variants of Real fruit juice. However, there are a couple of downsides to those variants also, which I will discuss in some another post.
It lacks the fiber that is found in whole fruits
Looking at the fiber content of a single medium-size Apple, it has 4.5 gm of fiber. However, when you look at Real’s apple juice, the same has zero fiber. Why?
This is because the process of juicing removes the skin, seeds, and pulp of fruits, which is where most of the fiber is found. As a result, Real fruit juice has a lower fiber content or no fiber at all. This is why even after drinking a lot of juice, you don’t feel full but eating whole fruits helps you feel full.
Fiber is an important part of a diet that helps keep you regular and full for long periods. It also helps to regulate your blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
The company recently launched Real Activ Fiber+ to address the issue of low fiber content in their older variants. However, the price is high, and the fiber content is still lower than what you can get from whole fruits.
Real juice has low fruit concentrate
Real juice attract the parents using the tagline, ‘ let your kids enjoy the taste of Real’. But in reality, not even half of the juice is real.
Not only does Real fruit juice lack fiber, but it also lacks a good amount of fruit concentrate. On average, Real juice contains only 10% to 20% of fruit juice. The rest is water, sugar and other additives.
For example, Real mixed fruit juice has only 12% of the mixed fruit concentrated juice.
In addition, the sugar and other additives make the juice shelf-stable for months, but it also makes it very different from the juice you would get from fresh whole fruits.
That means if you are drinking Real fruit juice, you are actually not drinking real juice from fruits. But a highly processed juice with a lot of sugar and additives.
It has low nutrients level
Although the nutritional table may list calcium, potassium and Iron as present, these minerals are available in such low quantities that they are inadequate for daily needs.
For example, a 200 ml small packet contains 14mg of calcium and 0.5mg of Iron, which is less than 3% of the daily recommended consumption for your child.
Also, fruits are typically rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamins K, E, B1, and B6, as well as minerals like copper. However, when you look at the nutrition label of a Real fruit juice, you may not find all of these vitamins and minerals present.
This is because most of the nutrients are removed during the juicing process, leaving the juice extremely low in nutrients compared to fresh juice made from whole fruits.
Not good for diabetes
If you have diabetes, it’s important to avoid consuming any drink with added sugar. Not even natural fruit juices in too much quantity are good for people with diabetes as they also cause spikes in blood sugar levels.
It is better to consume whole fruit than fruit juice. This is because whole fruit has the advantage of having soluble fibre that can help slow the rise in blood sugar levels.
Not good for children
Real fruit juice is marketed toward your children with a tagline that ‘healthy is happy’ or ‘Let your kids enjoy the taste of real’.
But in reality, it does not contain even half of the daily recommended amount of nutrients for your kids. Moreover, adding sugar and additives makes it addictive, contributing to obesity or diabetes in your children.
So, If you are buying Real fruit juices for your children, thinking that it will help them get the nutrients they need, you may need to think twice.
Real juice can damage your teeth
It’s not just the chocolates & candies that are bad for your teeth. Sometimes fruit juices such as from Real are loaded with sugar that can damage your teeth.
When you consume sugary drinks, they tend to produce acid in your mouth, which is responsible for tooth decay and creating holes or cavities in the teeth. In the long run, this may result in the tooth having to be removed.
Final words
Based on the above points, it is clear that Real fruit juice is not good for your health. The high sugar content, lack of nutrients, and addition of chemicals make it a less ideal choice of fruit juicing.
Instead, it is best to choose fresh, whole fruits. This way, you can get all the essential nutrients from the fruits without sacrificing your health and money.
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FAQs about Real juice
If you are on strict fast such as intermittent fasting, it is recommended to avoid drinking Real juice as it is processed and contain high sugar amount.
Real fruit juice does contain some amount of salt, as can be seen from the sodium label on the nutrition label.
While Real fruit juice is not harmful, it is definitely not beneficial during the pregnancy due to its low nutritive value. It’s better to go for the freshly squeezed juices or whole fruits during pregnancy.
Yes, Real fruit juice is gluten free.
It is not advisable to drink Real fruit juice every day due to its low nutritional value and high sugar content. Instead, try to include lots of fruits in your regular diet. If you still want to drink Real juice, limit your consumption to 2 to 3 times a week.
If you are on a weight loss diet or looking to lose weight, it’s better to avoid Real juice as it has high amount of sugar.
Very good
I’m glad you found it useful.😊