Some fruits are very high in sugar. When they are juiced, the sugar count gets even higher which can negate any benefits the fruits may have. If you are considering adding juicing to your lifestyle, you need to consider the sugar content.
If you have diabetes or weight issues or trying to lose weight, you may want to use sugary fruits with caution. Some fruits may be harmful to you when consumed in excess, which is why it’s necessary to carefully determine the sugar content.
Carefully consider the amount of fruit you need in your juice. For example, to get about 2 ounces of orange juice, you need to juice 2 medium oranges, so for a regular 6-ounce glass of juice, you need 3 oranges.
One medium orange has 12 grams of sugar and 62 calories, so when you drink 6-ounce juice you will consume 36 grams of sugar and 186 calories from a single drink. This goes to show that you can easily send your sugar and calorie intake through the roof.
So what’s the trap?
We love the sweet taste of fruit juice, so when we juice them we assume that they are automatically healthy. The US federal dietary guidelines recommend that adults eat 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruit daily, that’s about 2 oranges.
Sugar from fruit maybe healthier than table sugar because you’re getting nutrients and not empty calories as cupcakes do. However, just like cupcakes, when you take the fruits in excess they can harm you and also contribute to weight gain as well as increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
If you are juicing fruits only, then you are missing the whole point of juicing. Vegetables should be the star ingredients in all your juice blends. Therefore, always use fruits in moderation to complement and enhance the flavor of vegetables.
Very High Sugar Fruits to Use in Moderation
Bananas: they have potassium content that boosts energy and they are easily digestible which is why athletes are always eating them. However, bananas contain 14 grams of sugar.
Grapes: if you love wine, you know grapes make wine, and wine is sugary. One cup of grapes has 15 grams of sugar. However, research shows that grapes can reduce the risk of diabetes and heart diseases because they contain resveratrol, a nutrient found to decrease risks for chronic diseases. Nonetheless, make sure to take them in moderation.
Mango: mango juice is always a sweet treat. However, just a single mango contains 31 grams of sugar.
Figs: one large fig has 10 grams of sugar.
Pomegranate: one pomegranate has 40 grams of sugar that is why you should use it in moderation. Instead of juicing it, try sprinkling its seeds on your juice, smoothie or yogurt.
Cherries: cherries may have plenty of health benefits, and many micronutrients, but a 100-gram serving contain 13 grams of sugar.
Tangerines: one large tangerine has a whopping 13 grams of sugar.
Fruits with Fairly High Sugar Content
- Kiwifruit
- Oranges
- Pineapple
- Pears
- Plums
Fruits with Low to Medium Sugar Content
- Papaya
- Cantaloupes
- Nectarines
- Blueberries
- Watermelons
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Honeydew Melons
- Grapefruit
- Guavas
- Apricot
Fruits with the Lowest Sugar Content
- Lemons
- Limes
- Blackberries
- Rhubarb
- Raspberries
How to Lower Sugar Intake from Juicing
The basic idea of juicing is to increase your vegetable nutrient intake, right? This is why you need to consider a few things when adding fruit to your juice;
- Lots of fruit juice is not healthy for you at all. Too much fruit juice with minimal vegetables will actually increase your risk of type-2 diabetes, result to weight gain and other health problems. So, juice more vegetables, and add a little bit of fruit just to add taste.
- If your main goal of juicing is to lose weight, there are more reasons to take fruit in moderation. Like refined sugars, natural sugars are also stored in the body as energy to use later and when you don’t use it, it turns these empty calories into fat. So make sure to work out so that the sugar calories and burn them off.
- To minimize the damage of fruit sugar, ingest as much fiber as you can from the fruit by blending it instead of juicing it.
Elements of Sugar
The main elements of sugar are;
- Glucose
- Fructose
Glucose is the good kind of sugar, it exists in every single living cell in our body and it’s a vital part of life. Fructose however is the bad kind, too much of it in your system can wreak havoc with your liver.
Unfortunately, fruit sugar is mostly fructose. When it enters your bloodstream, it can cause a nasty spike in your blood sugar levels.