Ban Fruit Juice at the Table Cooleraid discovers why water should always win

This year our opinions on sugar have been challenged and changed. With research now able to demonstrate the danger of a high level of sugar intake, and the media suggesting it to be the new tobacco, it comes at no surprise that health experts are urging parents to ban fruit juice at the dinner table.

We all know how much sugar is in fizzy drinks but the majority of Britons are unaware of just how much sugar is packed into fruit juice… and why would we ever know how bad they are? They are marketed as one of our five a day and a healthy alternative to well known sugary drinks.

Some staggering comparisons illustrate how much sugar is hiding in these ‘healthy fruit juices’. 500ml of Pret’s freshly squeezed orange juice has the same amount of sugar as 13 McVities Hobnob biscuits. Manufacturers responded to this by saying that their juice doesn’t include any added sugar, showing the dangers of eating to much fructose found in fruit. Even high quantities of this natural sugar are dangerous. Fructose continues to be the primary cause for high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

On Innocent Smoothie’s website the company claims ‘we’re here to make it easy for people to do themselves some good…live well and die old’. Since its launch in 1999, people have been buying Innocent under the illusion they were buying one of the healthiest drinks available…

Despite the fact Innocent do create smoothies only from fruit and ‘good stuff’, a 250ml pomegranate, blueberry and acai superfood smoothie actually has the same amount of sugar as 3.5 glazed Krispy Kreme donuts. Shocking!

If you’re not convinced and aren’t fussed amount the amount of sugar in these drinks, this is what it’s doing to you and why you should take note:

• Sugar raises your cholesterol and gives you heart disease.
• It can cause insulin resistance that can progress to type II diabetes.
• Fructose can overload the liver that can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
• Sugar can be addictive.

Importantly it’s not just at the dinner table you should be reducing your sugar intake, but all the time, and fruit juices or smoothies should become a treat.

So next time you’re reaching for a quick fruit juice on your lunch break, consider opting for water instead. It’s more hydrating and has absolutely no sugar in it! Cooleraid can provide water coolers to keep you and your colleagues at risk from sugar overload… it really is that simple!