Scott Schwab:
We had a great question the other night from a reader and I thought that it was time to debunk the myths and false information around the juices. Realize that the best alternative to any other drink is water. If you have to wen yourself away from pop and juice, make sure that you are going with drinks that are naturally sweetened and completely stay away from any acids, corn syrup, preservatives, and the worst, High Fructose corn syrup. In general you can go with a propel if you are looking to pick something up at the store. Crystal Light is ok, and there are some juices that we have found that are really 100%. If it says 100% on the label, double check so that you can see the fine print on the back of the required nutritional information.Train yourself to look at the labels. Many times juice companies will put the high fructose corn syrup in as a flavor additive, but many times it is to extend the shelf life based on the process. I have used a couple of articles to help with this so feel free to link to them.
Soda
The main reason that soda is so bad for us is the multiple forms of sugar that are used in the process of creating the stuff. There are many arguments that surround caffeine in products, because at times casein(the natural form of caffeine), is used to help weight loss. Realize that these are different forms. However, caffeine is a diuretic and a stimulant known to be addictive.
New research is showing that noncaloric food and beverages deregulate our ability to judge caloric intake. Secondly the psychological part: many people subconsciously think that they are taking in less calories by drinking the crap that we call soda. Thirdly, there is also a theory among nutritionists that through sweets being consistently in our body, our bodies become conditioned and could possibly signal a release of insulin, even though there are no actual calories or sugar present.
Replacement Killer
Now the fun part. Personally I used to replace my pop with powerade or other "sporty" drinks until I realized that I was not better off. Sport drinks do have a place, and it is a great way to replenish sugars and electrolytes when working out. However, as a daily drink it should not be a substitute. Juices are only slightly better then the soda we drink. A 4oz glass of apple juice is equivalent in calories to eating a whole apple, however without the perservatives, man made sugars, and the fiber and other nutrients that we naturally find in fruit. Additionally it seems to be more of a concern for children by most health professionals.
Thank you so much for finding this for me!!!
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