Sure, we’ve now all got the message that soft drinks are a really poor drink choice but drinking fruit and vegetables is also not as beneficial as what you may think, or clever marketing has led you to believe.
Juices can be high in sugar and can add energy / kJ’s to your overall daily intake without much nutritional benefit. For example, to get enough juice for one serve you may need at least four pieces of fruit, which creates a very high concentration of sugar without the additional benefits of fibre. The benefits of fibre in our diet is very well established but juicing fruits and vegetables extracts the fibre leaving just the juice which is high in sugar.
If you are looking for something refreshing, enjoy a cold water with a squeeze of lemon or orange for flavour. Alternatively, add some fresh mint or make some fruit-based teas and cool in the fridge overnight for a refreshing drink with ice cubes.
If you are looking for something more substantial that will also help keep you satisfied make yourself a smoothie. To make it thick and help keep the kJ content down, use plenty of ice, choose a milk and/or yoghurt base plus the addition of fresh or frozen fruit. Add some chia seeds, nuts plus a handful or spinach or kale to really pack some punch. Smoothies will ensure you get a much wider range of nutritional benefits such as calcium, protein and fibre; they will keep you satisfied longer and can be made at home without excess packaging and high price tag.
