Eat WHOLE FRUITS not JUICED

FRUITS should be eaten whole (and with their skins if possible) and not juiced, for better health benefits. Here’s why.

> Freshly made juices — although an excellent source of natural vitamins and minerals — LACK FIBRE, which is present in whole fruits. Fibre adds bulk to the stool (and are mild natural laxatives) and also eases the rate of passage of materials through the large intestine. The process of preparing juice reduces fibre content. For example, in a clear apple juice, about 12-15 grams of fibre is lost as compared to a whole fruit.

> Fruit juices are HIGH IN SUGAR — the squeezing process concentrates their sweetness. A study cited in The Telegraph found that freshly squeezed fruit juices can contain as much as 5 teaspoons of sugar per glass. This is around two-thirds of theamount found in a can of soda and can contribute to obesity and also disturb blood sugar levels and the body’s natural metabolism, the study found. Also, the sugar in liquid form gets absorbed rapidly, which is bad for diabetics. “People often substitute them for real fruit which is a mistake. Fruit juice is higher in sugars than people realise and they are likely to encourage drinking too much sugar,” says Dr Hans Peter Kubis of Bangor University in North Wales.

> Eating whole fruits provides beneficial fibre and health-giving NUTRIENTS FROM THE SKIN. The skin is one of the places where the fruit interacts with sunlight, and forms a variety of coloured pigments. These pigments, including carotenoids and flavonoids, are nutrients that protect our health and provide nourishment.

The skins of whole fruits like grapes, for instance, have actually been studied for their ability to help lower risk of cancer and help provide protection from ultraviolet light.

> Eating whole fruit can also help MAINTAIN WEIGHT. According to a study published in the journal Appetite, when researchers looked at eating fruits in different forms (apple juice, apple sauce, whole apple), the juiced version performed the poorest in regards to increasing feelings of fullness. Eating the whole fruit increased fullness and decreased the number of calories study participants ate by 15% in the meal that followed.

EXCERPT from CAP GUIDE: Eating Right

Available here: https://consumer.org.my/product/eating-right-3/