It is believed that juices are good for health - this statement is true only for natural fresh juices and then with some restrictions. Most store-bought juices are not only not beneficial, but can also be harmful. If you have not yet purchased a juicer, then you need to learn how to choose high-quality juice in stores.
The harm of store juices
Juice manufacturers claim that their products are 100% natural with no preservatives or flavors. Nevertheless, they are made not from fresh fruit, but from concentrate - such juices are called reconstituted, they always write about this on the packaging, but not everyone knows what this means. This concentrate contains much less vitamins than fresh fruit and is diluted with water to obtain juice.
Most store-bought juices have a shelf life of several months to a year, while any freshly squeezed juice disappears in a few days. In natural fruits, over time, the fermentation process begins with the release of gases that would inevitably blow up the package. To prevent this, manufacturers add preservatives to juices or expose them to heating - the temperature effect prolongs the shelf life, but destroys almost all the remaining vitamins. As a result, the benefits of the juice are reduced to almost a minimum.
Most of the juices presented on store shelves are actually nectars, but not all manufacturers directly write about this in a prominent place on the package. Nectar is a sugar syrup with a small amount of fruit concentrate. The amount of sugar in such drinks is huge and causes great harm to the human body. The fact is that drinks are usually not perceived by a person as an essential product in terms of energy, although in fact one liter pack of nectar can contain 500 or more kilocalories (which is approximately equal to a full dinner of soup and a second course), and instead of to lose weight thanks to such "correct" nutrition, a person begins to gain weight.
Cold juices seem less sweet and the person drinks more, resulting in metabolic problems and excess weight.
Also, flavors and dyes are added to nectars to add flavor and color to the syrup, which are also far from beneficial to health. The small percentage of fruit concentrate that is used to make nectar is usually made from low-quality, unripe fruits that do not have a pronounced taste and add acid to the drink.
The benefits of store juices
If you buy juice without added sugar, then it is still able to bring little benefit - after all, a small amount of vitamins remains in it. In this case, it is important to carefully consider the choice of drink. The composition should not contain sugar, as well as sweeteners - sucrose, aspartame, fructose, and the proportion of the concentrate should be at least 70%.
As a rule, quality juices are more expensive because they are made from good ripe fruits that are not cheap.
It is even more useful to drink fresh juices - packaged freshly squeezed juices that are stored for several days. They are usually sold in large supermarkets, but preservatives and other additives may also be used in their manufacture.
