Do these „no added sugar” actually contain no sugar?
Very happy to reach for juices, because they are tasty, tempt with its aroma and color. From an early age you have been told that juices are a source of vitamins and minerals. Is this really true? Is there no loss of the most valuable ingredients during the production of juices? Is the sweet taste of the juice the result of using sweet fruit, but is there an added sugar in it? Which of the juices retains the highest nutritional value?
The sugar content in juices
On the packaging of many juices, there is a large inscription „without added sugar”. You turn over the package, and there is a label with the specified amount of sugar and it is quite significant. Why is this happening? Well, even if no sugar was added to the juice, it contains natural fruit sugar, or fructose, derived from the fruits from which it is produced.
Due to the fact that the content of simple sugars in juices is so significant, people who are on a diet should be careful with the amount of juices consumed, because too much simple sugars slows down the process of weight loss. Patients with diabetes should also be careful because the juices significantly increase the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
Another thing is the addition of sugar to juices. There is an allowed amount of sugar, which does not have to be included on the label, and is aimed at easing the taste of too acidic fruit. Up to the value of 15g / l (ie 2 teaspoons of sugar per liter) the juice is considered unsweetened. Only above this value the producer is obliged to mark the juice as sweetened. The exception are juices produced from really sweet fruit – pears and grapes, to which sugar can not be added.
There are also opinions that fructose is added to some juices. It is a sugar naturally found in fruit, so it is difficult to prove that this sugar was added to the juice, because equally ripe and sweet fruits could be used for production.
What is the difference between 100% juice in a carton and one day juice?
100% juice in a carton
This is the most common juice on store shelves, sold in cartons. It is juice reconstituted from concentrated juice or fruit puree, which is obtained by evaporation of water. It is subjected to pasteurization process (heat-set), which causes loss of vitamins, but thanks to which the juice retains a longer shelf-life date. To restore the taste and aroma lost during production, the permitted amounts of sugar or citric acid are added.
There are also direct juices, which undergo a milder heat treatment (pasteurisation) and, as the name suggests, are not reconstituted from concentrated juice. These juices retain a higher nutritional value and better taste.
One day juice
It is a non-pasteurized juice, thanks to which it preserves the richness of vitamins and minerals, as well as its unique taste and smell. It is the least processed juice, therefore it needs to be stored in refrigeration and has a short shelf life. Unfortunately, the omission of pasteurization creates the risk of infection with bacteria, so that one-day juices should not be consumed by children under 2 years of age, as well as people with reduced immunity. It is sold in small bottles.
If you want to juice, squeeze it yourself and you will keep the most vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. If you do not have enough time, and you can not go without the juice, buy one day (preferably cloudy, with fruit particles), where the loss of vitamins and fiber is the smallest, and the most „rich” flavor. Remember, however, that the basis of the liquids you drink should be water!
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