Which of the following contains more calories and more carbohydrates?
A. Apple juice
B. Coca-Cola
This is the kind of Nutrition 101 question that a nurse educator posed to me after I was diagnosed with diabetes. I remember it well because I was startled by the answer: Apple juice.
Eight ounces of apple juice contains 117 calories and 29 grams of carbohydrates. The same amount of Coke has 97 calories and 27 grams. Pepsi is about the same.
Now it’s old news that juice can elevate blood sugar quickly—it’s the food of first resort to fight off hypoglycemia. (Two boys, age 7 and 4, were credited with saving their diabetic grandfather’s life in 2007 by, among other tactics, giving him orange juice.) But of course that same juice can cause normal blood-sugar levels to spike. And it looks like it may be doing that in a broad swath of high-risk Americans, to bad effect.
The authors of a new study in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine are calling for more awareness of the juice-carb connection after looking at the soda and fruit-juice habits of 44,000 African-American women, a group at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Participants who drank more fruit juice and sugar-sweetened soft drinks had an increased risk for developing diabetes.
The study’s authors logically associated weight gain from all that sugar with the elevated risk of diabetes. But even when weight was factored out, women who drank lots of fruit juice still had an elevated risk—a higher risk even than the soda drinkers. Possible reason: Empty calories don’t satisfy, even while they wreak havoc with blood sugar.
“Fruit drinks typically contain as many or more calories compared with soft drinks,” the authors warned. “The public should be made aware that these drinks are not a healthy alternative to soft drinks with regard to risk of type 2 diabetes.”
The message here, of course, is not that people should switch from juice to soda. The message is that carb-consciousness is job one for diabetics and for people who risk getting it.
Comments (30)
It’s a shame that nature created amazing things with fruit and vegetables and we are now adding and taking away from what was already perfect. I wonder what would happen if the same comparison was done with “real” juice.
“real juice”. That’s funny. So you think your organic, unfiltered, unpasteurized apple juice has less sugar and calories than filtered, pasteurized juice?
I’m pretty sure you’re wrong there!
The key word is moderation. Give me an 8 oz. cup of Orange Juice anyday over a can of coke. At least I am getting something beside empty calories.
Yes, but there IS a difference between natural sugar and the added sugar found in sodas. I’ll take my OJ over Coke ANY DAY.
I agree with everyone before me; I will take fresh fruit anyday over processed soda pop that has no nutritional value. I, too, believe in the adage, “everything in moderation”
I agree Me Too. I think the problem with today’s eating habits isn’t so so much WHAT we eat as HOW MUCH we eat. I think portion control is the bigger enemy here. I would also take a natural fruit juice over a soda any day, but then, I mainly try to stick to water.
I haven’t heard anyone mention eating an orange instead of drinking an 8oz. glass of OJ – even if it’s on occasion. The fiber from the skin is critical for our diet. Also, consider the amount of juice one could squeeze from an orange. You wouldn’t eat 6-8 oranges in one sitting (that’s what it would take to get an 8oz. glass), would you? Moderation is good, but raw fruits and vegetables are key.
The natural sugar found in fruit is nothing to be fearful of. Its the added sugar that makes juices taste better to most and in turn sells more.
No, we shouldn’t be “fearful” of juice sugar, but many people are oblivious to the hidden sugar in all fruit juices.
How about eating a piece of fruit?
I believe that moderation is the key. Also eating a fresh fruit is your best approach, because juice require more fruit to fill a cup, then you really have problems with more sugar whether it is natural or added. Too much soda is addictive, and too much acid can hurt people that may have ulcers.
Poorly written. Incomplete. Misleading title. First study cited was of people who drank soda and juice–so it doesn’t support the conclusion. The article switches to referencing “fruit drinks” rather than fruit juice. This makes me leery of the other articles sent to me with this article. Yes fruit juice is high in sugar. Can you say vitamins? Can you say no caffeine or artificial color? Can you say no high fructose corn syrup?
Eating raw fruit is different than drinking juice. Don’t confuse the two. No dietician on earth will tell you not to eat a fresh orange, but he/she WILL tell you to quit the OJ, cold turkey if possible. Raw fruit contains fiber and vitamins & minerals that are lost in the processing of juice, too – another benefit to packing some freshness in your lunch.
I am not a diabetic but it seems to me the best choice would be water.
When drinking juice instead of soda I use 1 to 2 parts water (and ice) to one part juice. I do this with apple & grape juice and also V-8 and tomato juice for a mid-afternoon refreshing drink.
It more healthful that pure juice and tastes a lot better than diet sodas.
After all of this…. I’m thinkin’ beer.
Read the labels! Like Dorrie said, the key to whether fruit juice is “worse” than soda is added sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Look for 100% juices. I, too, would rather get my carbs naturally through the fruit than by added sugar.
I like the unfiltered apple juice, not from concentrate. It has more calories than soda, but I presume that there is some nourishment to compensate for the calories. I don’t like eating raw fruit like apples and oranges because my teeth are sensitive. I have less of a problem with cherries, bananas,and apricots.
As a “seasoned” flight attendant with over 38 years experience, I have always been fascinated by parents who put apple juice in their baby’s bottle. They would never think of putting a soda product in it and probably don’t realize that a can of Coke, for example, has 39 carbs in it while a can of juice has 45 or so (with the exception of cranberry juice which comes in far higher in the carb count due to the sugar added to it). For a diabetic, it doesn’t matter what form the carbs take as all carbs will cause a dangerous spike in blood sugars. I know that when I was diagnosed, my MD told me to give up my one regular Coke a day and the 1/2 c of fresh orange juice I drank daily also becauce both were bad for me. I now subsist on water and ice tea and though I miss other choices, it is one way that I can maintain my health and live a long life. And yes, to those of you who suggest eating fruit, that is a pleasure that I now have in the form of a small apple,orange, and one other small fruit snack of my choice–but the whole fruit doesn’t satisfy thirst.
just looked at what I just posted and realized that I said all carbs will cause a dangerous spike in blood sugars–I should have said that they can cause a dangerous spike when excessive. My eating plan allows for no more than 45 carbs per meal, no matter what type, and 15-30 carbs for snack. This causes a spike that is controlled and my A1C (a test that measures blood sugars over a 90 day period) dropped from a high of 14 to 6 because of my close monitoring of the number of carbs I ate.
I am too a diabetic but have taken the time to really read the labels on some fruit juices that are light and have very low carbs (most have approx. 4g of carbs per 8 oz). I find this to be quite a refreshing change. Also, I agree that if you drink excessive amounts of juice and regular soda, of course it could cause serious problems. I look forward to seeing some information concerning fruit juice choices that can work for those of us with diabeties.
I am a naturopathic doctor and deal with a lot of diabetic patients. I recommend drinking fruit water with no sugar added. It is easy to prepare. Just add 1 tablespoon of natural lemon juice or grapefruit to 16 oz of water. This is very low in calories, taste good and helps to detoxify the body.
I have tried your idea Omar as I really missed juice. I mixed 1oz grape juice with sparkling water and it was wonderful. I’ll try it with apple juice and OJ also as I miss both of them.
I WAS ASKING ABOUT JUICE AND SODA SUGAR DIFFERENCE BECAUSE THE SUGAR CONTENT IS ALWAYS SO MUCH HIGHER IN THE JUICES. WHEN I HAVE A MIX DRINK IT SOUNDS LIKE I AM BETTER OFF USING COLA, ESPECIALLY WITH DIABETIS IN MY FAMILY. CORRECT?
Juice and soda are exactly the same they both have refined sugar that leads up to diabities in the long run. While coke may have 2 grams less then juice they both are highly processed and should be avoided. If your going to drink juice, drink raw 100% organic juice, it may have alot of carbs/sugar but it doesnt have refined sugar that can lead up to hypoglymic and diabetic health issues if anybody has any comments Email me and Brigde.Wendell@yahoo.com, enlighten me with some comments, or if you disagree with me!!
WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT POP OR FRUIT JUICE JUST DRINK ENOUGH WATER
In view of the foregoing why is it that TV advertises Orange Juice is healthy and Coca Cola is bad for you because of the sugar content?
i think that sometimes fruit juice can taste worse than soda because some fruit juices have nastey and bitter tastes to them that why i think that fruite juice can taste worse than soda
LOL, Rox! After all this im thinking beer too, exept that is probably a really bad choice, if you don’t wanna screw with your sugar, but yeah, i’d go for one ;-)
Americans are so afraid of everything they do, and everything they eat. Now we have to be afraid of natural sugar found in fruit juice because of 1 study? Please. People, take a second glance before you believe stupid articles using scare tactics such as shown here.
Oh and by the way, I’m going to eat everything and anything when I feel like it (within moderation) and live a healthy and happy life. If you want to give up juice because of one study and suffer, go right ahead!