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Wonder how many people would believe this about fruit juice?
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Being skeptical and keeping an open mind means that you have to be willing to accept whatever reality tells you. Even if you don't want it to be true.
Here is an interesting report comparing the effect of fruit juice and sugary soda on obesity rates.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-juice8-2009nov08,0,5809992,full.story
FTA - "UC Davis scientist Kimber Stanhope has found that consuming high levels of fructose increases risk factors for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes because it is converted into fat by the liver more readily than glucose. Her studies suggest that it doesn't matter whether the fructose is from soda or juice."
So, could you accept the idea that fruit juice is just as much a contributor to the obesity problem in America as Coke, Pepsi, or my personal favorite, Dr. Pepper? -
Well, HFCS is proven to increase hunger, decrease the ability to sense when we're full, etc. It's just all around more dangerous then real sugar. (I'm part of a weight loss support group called TOPS and my mom has been chapter leader MANY times so I am exposed to lots of nutrition stuff.) So if the juices have HFCS rather then real sugar, I believe it.
BTW - LOVE Dr. Pepper. o/`I'm a Pepper, Left Brain's a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too? o/`
Man, commercials used to be so cool. Now they suck.
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I loved those old Dr. Pepper commercials!!
As far as HFCS goes, there is not much proof that it is worse than an equivalent amount of regular sugar. At least that's what nutrition "experts" say & what the original article suggests too.
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/jun/25/health/chi-high-fructose-corn-syrup-25-jun25 -
Well, see I don't entirely trust all of those. I look at the evidence. I'm more inclined to believe those that say HFCS is worse then sugar, because the evidence suggests it is.
When sodas and stuff had real cane or sugar beet sugars and kids were more active, people were thinner. Then when HFCS was used people got heavier even when they were active. And now we're mostly inactive and almost everything has HFCS.
It's not ALL because we're lazier then our parents. A lot has to do with things that have changed in our foods.
I've heard rumors that the American government is talking about banning the use of sugars and making everything with artificial sweeteners. I don't know if it's true but if it is I'm starting a revolution. As someone who is highly allergic to things like NutraSweet and Sweet & Low I will not stand for it. HFCS needs to be banned and real sguar brought back.
The "I'm A Pepper" jingle is my favorite out of all the ones Barry Manilow wrote. -
If they start using artificial sweeteners in everything here, I'm moving to a different country. Why? Just because it's creepy. It's a weird thing to ban. I understand that corn is cheap, but seriously, there is a flavor difference between sodas and such made with sugar and stuff made with HFCS.
I could see the fruit juice thing being true. Could the results for fruit juice have to do with serving sizes? I know kids that chug fruit juice because it's "healthy," but there is a lot of sugar in that stuff. How many pieces of fruit would go into a serving of juice? Perhaps people should look at it that way. My opinion -- drink unsweet tea or water, eat fruit. Moderation is important. -
Same comment as above...posted twice. =)
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this makes me wonder what is healthy to drink anymore other than water?
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*sigh* I never know what side to take on this issue because I live in the corn belt and attended a university that develops a lot of ways to put corn and soy where they don't usually belong. I've heard so much propaganda that I usually just brew a cup of tea. (Though I won't say no to the occasional Dr. Pepper!) I recall reading an abstract for a study (one of the first I ever read, circa 7th grade, so it's an older study) that found children who consume large amounts of juice tended to have high BMI. Whether it comes from corn syrup or other sources, sugar is sugar and calories are calories. I think people think juice is lower calorie than it actually is since it's a liquid.
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Exactly, Curses!
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Did any of you ever see that episode of Boston Legal where that one lunatic lawyer convinced a fat guy to sue a snack cake company? Shirley took over the trial because it was such a farce and ended up reading all the bad effects of HFCS and how it's worse then sugar. I had heard all that before, of course. That's what I believe when it comes to HFCS. Can't avoid it however. It's in everything. Like I said, it should be banned and we should go back to real sugar from cane and sugar beets.
I mean, it's kind of like how they've proven real butter is better for you then margerine. While natural isn't always better. In some cases it is.
And Curses, they think it's healthier because it's fruit and therefore has vitamins and stuff in it. Not because it's a liquid. -
While Shirley did an entertaining job of eviscerating HFCS, her information flies in the face of current scientific evidence.
Consider, on the question of whether there is a difference between HFCS and natural sugar (sucrose).
Effects of glucose-to-fructose ratios in solutions on subjective satiety, food intake, and satiety hormones in young men Tina Akhavan and G Harvey Anderson, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 5, 1354-1363, November 2007.
Conclusion: Sucrose, HFCS, and G50:F50 solutions do not differ significantly in their short-term effects on subjective and physiologic measures of satiety, UA, and FI at a subsequent meal
And there are many others...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-12-08-fructose-corn-syrup_N.htm
What scientific evidence do you know of that supports the claims that HFCS is worse for you than regular sugar? I'm curious.
Incidentally, I think the chances that sugar will be banned in favor of artificial sweeteners are about the same as Sean Hannity becoming the DEMOCRATIC nominee for President of the United States. Not gonna happen.
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The difference between butter and margarine is that they are chemically different.
There is practically no chemical difference between HFCS and sugar. -
I'll be honest, it's my mom whom does all the research for our TOPS group. She's the one whom finds the magazine articles and watches the Health chanel. But I do believe, that "no chemical difference" or not, HFCS is worse for people then sugar. *shrugs* Sorry I can't provide anything better then that. Like I said, I look at the world around us and realize it's not all because we've got computers and labor saving devices. But also because of the changes in food and diet. Did you know China follows America as one of the fatest countries in the world? (That one I can give you - Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat.) Their diet has changed drastically with lots of fast food and sodas.
And I agree on the banning thing. Too many people would be upset. But then I think about the push to filiment light bulbs. Even though the new ones are in the long term worse for the enviroment because of the stuff inside. And yet people are gullible enough to believe this bulbs are "green." Nevermind if you break one you actually have to evacuate the premises. So there probably are people out there stupid enough to try and ban real sugar.
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Regarding the article that Left Brain linked to in the original post, I'm floored that anyone still considers fruit juice healthy. I was told when my oldest was born back in 1994 not to give him fruit juice bacause it was just empty calories and it wasn't news then. I thought it was common knowledge that juice was lacking almost all of the nutritional value of the fruit from which it was made.
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@JamiSings
I said that I THINK people believe juice is low-cal because it's liquid. My rationale is it's less filling than a solid food of equivalent weight or volume, so either they simply assume it has fewer calories or they unconsciously consume greater quantities than intended.
While I may be wrong, you have provided no rationale or evidence to support your claim of nutrient perception. It's rather insulting to be told I'm incorrect simply because my opinion differs from yours. -
Dunno if HFCS is worse than sugar, but it's goddamned ubiquitous. I think that's the problem. It's in EVERYTHING, including stuff that has no business having sweetener of any kind in it.
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I think people think fruit juice is low-calorie because it's got the word "fruit" in it. Sugar water that's got dye in it and has been artificially flavored to remotely resemble an apple is what you're buying when you buy that junk anyhow.
Just buy an apple and eat it. -
@Jamisings - The problem with coming to conclusions based on "belief" rather than "facts" is that you could be mistaken and never know the truth.
Is it more important to believe HFCS is bad or to know what's really true? Is there any data you could see that would change your "belief"?
This is the same kind of problem that people face about cosmetic products. They would rather believe "natural" products are healthier & safer for you but there is no evidence that is true.
We encourage everyone to remain open-minded and practice skepticism about all beliefs. It's the only way to know what you know is true.
Oh yeah, I agree that people should eat better. I found Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food" convincing and full of good, practical advice. I just don't see any evidence that HFCS is worse than sugar, but I could be convinced by the appropriate data. -
Anybody remember juice glasses? My grandmother had these lovely little (4 oz.?) glasses made just for serving juice with breakfast. If you were lucky, some nice person would squeeze a few oranges and you'd get a little glass of juice with your breakfast. Back then juice was a treat and obesity was abnormal.
Two generations later, we think nothing of washing down a softball sized muffin or bagel with 16 oz. of juice, and *not* being overweight is abnormal (just 1/3 of the population). Juice is purchased by the gallon and consumed accordingly.
I think the focus on specific sugars is a straw man. If you're consuming juice by the gallon, it might make a difference but - hello! - you're consuming juice by the gallon. This is a food version of two recurring themes on this website: 1) Natural doesn't always equal good for you (Juice! It comes from fruit! Just like, uh, cyanide.) & 2) Things that can be bad for you in large amounts can actually be harmless in smaller amounts (like parabens & the other boogeymen of the EWG). -
My parents still have a set of juice glasses! They've got cherries on them. Every time I'm there, I tell my mother that I want them and to make sure she leaves them to me in her will. I was certainly aware that muffins, bagels and the "average" serving size for all baked treats had increased but I never really thought about the fact that beverage sizes had increased to. It's all a matter of portion control, whether you're talking about muffins and fruit juice or parabens.
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I have allways known that fruitjuice in some way is like soda however it contains vitamins and soda does not.I drink soda or juice maybe once a week. I live in sweeden and we are not as overweight as americans. I think the number one reason for this is that are portions is smaller.Juice is not only harmeless is good for you but only is you eat the right amount.
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I just stumbled onto this discussion, but it reminded me of something I saw the other week. My mother and I were shopping and she picked up some juice with HFCS in it.....why does it need that in it? It's juice, most of it is sweet enough.I find it a little ridiculous, my mother on the other hand finds anything about corn and artificial sweetener, etc ridiculous (that's her "thing").And sometimes I wish people would make an attempt to either do research on nutrition, or take a nutrition class! haha I'm not talking about any of you of course!! I'm a nutrition major and my friends who aren't get a good laugh at people around my campus that freak out about sugars being in foods. Sugar is in most foods!! :)
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I believe it. I try to get fruit juice with lower sugar and vitamin C added like cool quenchers!
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However eating too much sugar is bad for everyone fat or thin.
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I believe it. Look how juice in a baby's bottle will literally rot and eat away at the child's tooth enamel. It's why my kids only get water or milk (and the latter never goes to bed with them, milk has its own enamel eating sugars too)
A friend of mine who routinely let her toddler take juice bottles to bed had to have her two front teeth pulled they became so rotted! Poor thing. I let my children have juice -- but in moderation -- and I opt for low acid orange juice. It's the healthiest choice as far as juice goes.
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