Are fruit juices and smoothies too high in sugar?

For a long time now we have all been led to believe that lots of fresh fruit juice and fruit smoothies are the best possible way to remain healthy.  We can buy and drink litres of the stuff and feel refreshed and proud for doing something so supportive and beneficial to our health. However, could daily intakes of juice and fruit smoothies be contributing to blood sugar imbalance and the associated health risks (diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity?)

The short answer is yes.  

Although fruit is crammed full of vitamins and antioxidants, when you remove the fibre and drink only the juice, the glucose takes an instant journey into your cells and gives your pancreas the job of regulating that glucose through insulin production.  Although smoothies retain the fibre, they still remove some digestive time and get that glucose into our system at record speed.  When we get too much sugar in one hit and it has minimal fibre, protein and fat to balance it, we often experience a sudden blood sugar low afterwards. This low can lead to mood swings, cravings and the conversion of more glucose within the body's supply (this can result in a rise in adrenaline and feelings of anxiety).

So are all juices and smoothies too high is sugar?  Not necessarily. If you balance your juices with green vegetables, you reduce the sugar load per glass and experience a more gentle and healing drink.  Green juices are much more healthy and also offer an even greater nutrient load.  In terms of smoothies, you can add flax seed, coconut oil, spinach or other leafy greens to the fruit and this creates a well rounded drink which releases glucose into the system at a much more regular rate.

So, don't kick juices and smoothies altogether, simply adjust your recipes to provide a more balanced glass of goodness.  Remember even some vegetables are very high in sugar, these are generally below ground root vegetables such as carrot and beetroot (always balance this kind of juice with green vegetables not more fruit).  An example of a very high sugar juice to avoid is carrot and apple.

Happy drinking!

Josie Was this useful?  Like My facebook page... :)