In the last decade, Americans consumed an average of thirty two billion dollars worth of fruit beverages including juices, drinks and blends on a yearly basis. By any measure this is a huge amount and based on current projections and population growth this amount will increase substantially in the coming years. But while this market is set to grow a troubling trend is developing in relation to the consumption of fruit juices. In recent years there has been a marked decline in the consumption of actual fruit juice while consumption of fruit drinks and fruit blends have been steadily growing.

Just to clarify, broadly speaking fruit drinks are mixtures of water, sugar and fruit flavoring that are marketed as alternatives to sodas. Fruit juices on the other hand are made from 100 percent freshly squeezed fruits or from concentrate and are devoid of additives like sweeteners and coloring. Fruit blends are the various combination of juices or blends of juices and vegetables that are marketed as healthy choices. Blends are attractive because they often promise some form of health benefit such as immune boosting, cholesterol busting or energy enhancing.

For a long time I’ve been drinking these various varieties of fruit beverages, I guess primarily because of their marketing messages and because I wanted to find alternatives to sodas. I would say that I have spent the majority of my adult life consuming sodas primarily, but as soon as I learned of the health risks associated with them I more or less turned to fruit-based drinks. But now, I have discovered that these drinks, juices, blends and whatever are packed with sugar. Sugar has been identified as one of the biggest health hazards among the foods we consumed. It has been linked to diseases like hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart conditions, gastrointestinal disorders and cancer. Therefore, daily consumption should be closely monitored.

Fruit beverages are Trojan horses for sugar consequently you must pay serious attention to the sugar content of whatever you consume. Typically, the sugar content and the type of sweetener used are listed on the label. If the sugar content is more than 10 grams I would recommend that you skip it and choose another drink that’s better for your health. You must also watch out for those so called diet drinks because sometimes they may say zero grams of sugar but at the same time they are jammed packed with other villains like aspartame. These sugar substitutes are similarly bad for you and should be avoided.

Bottom line, if you crave a fruit beverage you should always opt for freshly squeezed natural juices. Get in the habit of getting your drink straight from the tree without any added processing. Some fruits like the coconut come with an abundance of delicious drinkable juice. Apart from its great taste it has many health benefits. Why not try some today?