# Why is fruit juice considered unhealthy all of a sudden? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198 "2015-09-22T12:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/21 "2015-09-22T18:43:45Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Interesting. One thing I was told with type 2 diabetes is that juice has a high glycemic index, while the pulp in raw fruit slows down the absorption of sugar. So far I am not on insulin and don’t have to worry about hypoglycemia (which can be life-threatening and quickly). I wish I could eat grapefruit, but apparently it sucks up some liver enzyme that is important in detoxifying one or more of the many drugs I take. I used to peel and eat a whole grapefruit the way you do an orange. Do pomelos have the same chemical as grapefruits? Maybe you could eat those. They are similar to grapefruits and have the added benefit of not tasting bitter and awful. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/22 "2015-09-22T19:00:48Z")
Well, if the OJ still has the pulp, it’s a decent source of fiber. Per wiki, OJ also has: O_ranges contain diverse phytochemicals, including carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein and beta-cryptoxanthin), flavonoids (e.g. naringenin)[54] …_ The issue isnt that OJ is bad for you. A nice glass of fresh-squeezed with all the pulp in the morning is fine. But to suck juice all day gives you little more benefit and too much sugar. It’s not much better than sugared soda. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/23 "2015-09-22T21:40:21Z")
Consider also the quantities of fruit that go into a fruit juice. I’ve made home-made fresh-squozen orange juice from time to time. A large glass of OJ (would anyone want any less?) takes six oranges. So if you drink that, it’s like eating six oranges, with six times everything that one orange has, including 6x the sugar. That seems like a lot. (Pro-tip: Like some zing in your OJ? Squeeze one-half fresh lemon in with six oranges for some serious atomic rocket fuel!) > [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Do pomelos have the same chemical as grapefruits? Maybe you could eat those. They are similar to grapefruits and have the added benefit of not tasting bitter and awful. Eat pink grapefruits instead of the yellow ones. They are sweet and not bitter, at least if you get a good one. (Hint: Don’t eat the tough skins that separate the segments. That’s where the bitter is.) Sadly for me, it doesn’t play nice with several meds I take so I’ve had to do without. I wonder if, say, one grapefruit a week would kill me? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/24 "2015-09-22T21:47:39Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Consider also the quantities of fruit that go into a fruit juice. > > I’ve made home-made fresh-squozen orange juice from time to time. A large glass of OJ (would anyone want any less?) takes six oranges. So if you drink that, it’s like eating six oranges, with six times everything that one orange has, including 6x the sugar. That seems like a lot. (Pro-tip: Like some zing in your OJ? Squeeze one-half fresh lemon in with six oranges for some serious atomic rocket fuel!) Except you’re not getting 6x the fiber, so you’re not getting 6x everything. It would be much more difficult to eat 6 oranges than to drink the juice of 6 oranges. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/25 "2015-09-23T00:38:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Except you’re not getting 6x the fiber, so you’re not getting 6x everything. It would be much more difficult to eat 6 oranges than to drink the juice of 6 oranges. Point taken. So it really is much easier to guzzle 6x the sugar than to chow down 6 oranges, and maybe not even realize the 6xmillion sugar calories you just chugged. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/26 "2015-09-23T03:38:40Z")
I cut way back on my soda consumption a while ago, and have been drinking more juice. Now I hear that juice isn’t that great, either. Is there anything to drink that is healthy? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/27 "2015-09-23T05:08:54Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I cut way back on my soda consumption a while ago, and have been drinking more juice. Now I hear that juice isn’t that great, either. Is there anything to drink that is healthy? Water. Tea. Herbal tea. A cup of coffee or two. Dont think that juice is evil. Just make sure it’s more or less pure and you dont drink too much. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/28 "2015-09-23T06:11:34Z")
If I drink fruit juice, which is kinda rare, and then it’s only grape or orange \*, I make sure it’s not concentrate - Unconcentrate pineapple’s not available here and neither is apricot nectar in any form. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/29 "2015-09-23T07:10:44Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I cut way back on my soda consumption a while ago, and have been drinking more juice. Now I hear that juice isn’t that great, either. Is there anything to drink that is healthy? > [@DrDeth](#): > > Water. Tea. Herbal tea. A cup of coffee or two. I used to drink juice, too, but for the past six or so years I drink almost only water (carbonated) and black coffee. Now I have just about zero desire to drink juice, but when I do, I can remember the sugar rush, and the almost addictive desire to drink more, even though it really isn’t quenching my thirst. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/30 "2015-09-23T11:16:08Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I cut way back on my soda consumption a while ago, and have been drinking more juice. Now I hear that juice isn’t that great, either. Is there anything to drink that is healthy? Water first and foremost. If you’re going to have juice make it V8 or tomato, but still not more than about 6 floz. As an aside on the OJ: Just last night I saw a TV commercial for Tropicana brand OJ. The voiceover said something close to “With the goodness of 16 fresh oranges in every package!” While showing a carton small enough to fit easily in a Big Gulp cup with room for lots of ice. Bottom line: Eat your food; don’t drink concentrated forms of it. And certainly don’t drink large quantities of concentrated food. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/31 "2015-09-23T11:49:07Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I hadn’t ever really heard anyone bashing juice for adults, but I was surprised to find out that giving your children juice is kind of frowned upon these days. During the 70s and 80s when my brother and I were growing up, juice was sort of the go-to drink for kids if milk wasn’t available, because it was seen as healthful, and it was relatively portable, being sold in pasteurized packages like juice boxes and little juice bottles. At any rate, it was seen as better than Kool-Aid or Coke. > > Now that my kids are here; juice just isn’t a thing. Maybe it’s the white middle class circles we’re in, but I see lots more water than I used to. In the 80s and especially in the 70s, childhood obesity wasn’t like it is now, in both numbers and awareness. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/32 "2015-09-23T12:34:25Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Here’s a [past amusing thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=316678) on the topic where those of us who did not embrace the miracle of fruit juice were roundly chastised. Remarkably consistent, Doc. You gave me some similar advice [more than a decade ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=2813049&postcount=5). We’re getting old. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/33 "2015-09-23T12:42:09Z")
Moral: do not view fruit juice as a substitute for fruit itself. Drink unsweetened fruit juices, not “juice cocktails” or similar crap. Preferentially go for those juices that have demonstrated (or at least reasonably theorized) health benefits (i.e. cranberry, pomegranate, red grape). And in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/34 "2015-09-23T12:49:03Z")
It’s cups of sugar poured into water given a fruity flavour. The game should have been up on this shit years ago. They’ll probably also tell you it’s ‘fat free’, like that’s the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/35 "2015-09-23T13:11:24Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > It’s cups of sugar poured into water given a fruity flavour. Flavored, sweetened water can’t be sold as “juice.” But the point of this thread is that even actual, 100% juice isn’t all that good for you, at least if you drink a lot of it. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/36 "2015-09-23T14:30:12Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Remarkably consistent, Doc. You gave me some similar advice [more than a decade ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=2813049&postcount=5). > > We’re getting old. Yeah, and I’m sick of giving the same advice decade after decade. You’d think I’d have changed the world by now. What’s your offspring up to these days, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/37 "2015-09-23T14:57:52Z")
Note that even “100% real juice, no sugar added” can still have a ton of sugar added. What they do is take some juice that has relatively little flavor other than sugar, like white grape, apple, or pear, concentrate it, and add that instead of refined sugar. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/38 "2015-09-23T15:05:51Z")
Cracked magazine did a pretty good video on this recently: [Why Juice is secretly Terrible For You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cf_GdmjXxQ) Funny and informative. > [@boffking](#): > > Is there really that much more sugar in juice than there was 10 years ago? No, there isn’t more sugar in juice than there was 10 years ago. But 10 years ago everybody’s boogeyman was “added sugar”, of which most juice has none. Then folks realized that it doesn’t matter if the sugar was added or if it is already in there. And if you look at grams of fructose per liter, … at 65.8. Minute Maid 100% Apple Juice had more than Coke or Pepsi. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Is there anything to drink that is healthy? Water. While Cecil has observed there really can be too much of a good thing (as it is possible to kill yourself by drinking too much water), most people don’t get nearly enough water. There isn’t much agreement on exactly how much water folks should be drinking, but there is widespread agreement that it is more than what most folks drink. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Drink unsweetened fruit juices, not “juice cocktails” or similar crap. In defense of “juice coctails”: unadlterated cranberry juice is so bitter as to be intolerable. Even Ocean Spray says so (although they were trying to get out of having to put how much sugar they add on the label). Just remember that what you’re driniking isn’t so much a “healthy beverage” as a “sugary drink with some redeeming qualities”. 😉 > [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > They’ll probably also tell you it’s ‘fat free’, like that’s the problem. I wish I knew the name of the stand-up comedian whose bit burned into my memory. He mentioned that every product was trying to find some way to spin itself as healthy, and then said, “Twinkies, they’re … caffine free!” “I should certainly hope so. Most petroleum byprodcuts _are_ caffine free.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/39 "2015-09-23T16:32:52Z")
Most people don’t drink nearly as much water as they should be getting, but that’s not a problem, because they are still getting that much water. There are plenty of ways to get water without drinking it. Almost all foods contain a significant amount of water. And all beverages except very hard booze are essentially slightly impure water. Drink a can of Coke, and yes, you’re getting a lot more sugar than you should, but you’re also getting 12 oz of water from it, too. That said, it’s really, really hard to get too much water, so it can’t hurt to drink more (as long as you don’t mind more frequent potty breaks). And it certainly can’t hurt to replace other drinks with water, unless your diet is so unvaried that juice is your _only_ source of vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![duncs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@duncs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duncs)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198/40 "2015-09-25T10:38:42Z")
I now only drink grape juice with the sugar removed by yeast 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-juice-considered-unhealthy-all-of-a-sudden/732198.md?page=3)