Fruit Juice Vs Whole Fruit, which one is healthy?

Aashu’s Dilemma

Every morning Aashu gets a full glass of Fruit juice for his breakfast. As per his mother, it is a great idea as it takes very little time to prepare and is easy to consume. She believes it is a healthy substitute for breakfast in the morning and considers fresh fruit juice to be a good option as it will give the required nutrients to Ashu.

Even in the evening, he consumes fruit juice some time that spikes his glucose level and give energy. But as it wears off, his body craves sugar element after 2 to 3 hours. His energy levels are low & he feels lethargic. Now, he wants to know why this is happening & for that he starts searching about whether he should consume fruit juice or fresh fruit. Let’s see what he finds out –

Benefits of Eating Fruits than Consuming Fruit Juice

No doubt that eating fruits in your daily meals can benefit your health on the parameters of low calories, high nutrient count & rise in antioxidants. Here we have discussed 5 Benefits of eating Fruits rather than going for fruit juice:

1. Contains Essential Nutrients

When we talk about whole fruits then it means consuming them without their outer cover. Eating it in such a way can provide you with all the available nutrients of the food that you need from it.

On the other hand, fruit juices lack certain nutrients especially fiber and vitamins that are present in the pulp & skin of the fruit. For example, Vitamin C which is mostly present in the pulp of Orange is not available in the juice.

2. A Good Chewing Exercise

Most of us prefer juices over whole fruit as we want a direct intake of fruit content without involving our natural process of chewing them. This is acceptable occasionally when you have no or limited time but on a regular basis, consuming whole fruit is more advisable. Chewing fruits help in maintaining good oral health, also it promotes complete digestion & absorption of nutrients.

3. Helps in regulating Appetite

Adding fruit to your diet helps you to increase Fibre in your meal which is good for the digestive system. Fibre is also a great resistance against uncertain appetite & hunger cravings. This allows you to avoid intake of high-calorie fast food products.

4. Great for Weight Loss

If we look at most advertisements promoting fruit juices, they emphasise that fruit juices are a great substitute for soft drinks as they help in weight loss. However, many studies in recent times have broken that myth.

Fruit juices have a high concentration of sugar content that if consumed regularly can work as a catalyst for weight gain. Also, you will find yourself more exposed to diabetes, high blood pressure & other obesity-related issues.

At the same time, fruits as a whole have little or mild concentration of sugar which is good to avoid weight gain. Also, having fruits before a regular meal can cut down your carb intake as it controls your hunger cravings.    

5. You can avoid Preservatives

Preparing fresh fruit juice regularly is a big headache for many middle-class families. In such cases, they opt for commercial juices, that are laden with added sugars & preservatives.

These preservatives are artificial and can have health complications in the long run. Fresh juice allows you to avoid consuming such preservatives & added sugar.

Benefits of Fruit Juice

Now, a question comes into our mind, Is Fruit Juice healthy? No doubt that whole fruit wins that comparison with fruit juice but that doesn’t mean fruit juice can’t be included in your diet. There are certain reasons that prove fruit juice can also be a good option to tackle your appetite:

1. Should be Complemented with Other Meals

Yes there are certain benefits that you can have with fruit juices but you need to consume it with other compliment foods. You can have a bowl of cereals, brown rice or an omelette that can pacify your hunger prangs and you will feel satiated for a longer time.

2. Better than Soft Drinks

Fruit juice should be your preferred choice against soft drinks during any meal as it is healthy & nutritious. Yes, Fruit juices have added sugar but it is nothing when compared to the sugary content of soft drinks.

3. More Nutritious

If you are a working person and can’t opt for whole fruit due to a shortage of time then juice is a far better option. Most people substitute it with tea & coffee but in comparison, fruit juices are a great source of nutrients if you compare it with other drinks that you include in snacks or breakfast.

4. Good for Children and Elderly

Children between the ages of 0-5 years and Elders mostly have discomfort in chewing foods. You can add fruit juice to their diet as it requires no chewing. It can also be beneficial for those who are suffering from oral health problems. Rather than giving commercial fruit juices, you should go for freshly prepared fruit juice.

5. Easy to Carry & Longer Life Span

If you are planning for a trip, carrying fruit juice is more comfortable than whole fruit. Also, fruit juices that are laden with preservatives can last longer than fruits during travel & harsh conditions as well.

Nutritional Content of Fruit Juice vs Whole Fruit

To get a clear picture of nutritional comparison, we are taking contents of orange juice & whole orange for the comparison:

Conclusion

Curious Ashu has finally got a clearer picture of the difference between Fruit juice & Whole fruit. He has decided to take fruit juice as a compliment with breakfast to avoid uncertain hunger prangs. If he has no other options, then he will have whole fruits. It is idiotic to consider fruit juice either fresh or packaged as a complete meal.

To answer that “is whole fruit better than juice?” Aashu is now convinced that he will now go for fresh fruits for breakfast if he has nothing to compliment with it otherwise fruit juice is also a good option.