I see it a lot in my practice. Clients make a large glass of fresh fruit juice for themselves with different fruits: banana, orange, lemon, mango, apple, et cetera. The pieces of fruit are pressed, blended or cold-pressed with the idea of being healthy. But is fresh fruit juice actually healthy?
What makes fruit healthy?
We all know that fruit is healthy. Eating fruit, for example, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and lung cancer.1 Because fruit contains a lot of water, it provides few calories relative to its weight. Fruit contains dietary fiber, which ensures a full feeling.2 In addition, fruit is an important supplier of various vitamins and minerals: including vitamin C, various B vitamins, potassium and magnesium.3 Because the nutritional value differs considerably per type of fruit, it is recommended to eat as many different types of fruit as possible.2
Nutritional value
Below you can see the top 10 most eaten types of fruit in the Netherlands.3 On the next page, the nutritional value per 100 grams of the 5 most commonly eaten fruits is explained.4
Nutritional value per 100 grams4
| Apple | Banana | Pear | Mandarin | Orange | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (kcal) | 56 | 92 | 55 | 46 | 48 |
| Protein (g) | 0,3 | 1,1 | 0,2 | 0,7 | 0,8 |
| Fat (g) | 0,2 | 0,3 | 0,3 | 0,1 | 1,0 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 12,0 | 20,0 | 11,7 | 9,9 | 7,9 |
| – sugars (g) | 10,4 | 15,5 | 9,5 | 8,2 | 7,7 |
| Dietary fibre (g) | 2,0 | 1,9 | 2,2 | 0,9 | 2,0 |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 2 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 8 |
| Vitamin B2 (mg) | 0,01 | 0,03 | 0,02 | 0,03 | 0,03 |
| Vitamin B11 (mcg) | 0,0 | 8,6 | 3,7 | 22,6 | 32,6 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 5 | 8 | 3 | 40 | 51 |
| Potassium (mg) | 123 | 374 | 155 | 145 | 177 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 5 | 28 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
Fruit versus fruit juice
Unfortunately, fresh fruit juice does not have the same positive health effects as fruit. Drinking a lot of fruit juice even increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.1 But what causes the difference between a piece of fruit and a glass of fresh fruit juice?
Nutrients are lost during the preparation of fruit juice. As soon as fruit is pressed or otherwise processed, the breakdown of vitamin C starts under the influence of oxygen.5 Fortunately, the acid of the fruit prevents too rapid degradation of vitamin C, so fresh fruit juice still contains quite a bit of vitamin C. But the longer you leave fresh fruit juice out in the open, the less vitamin C it contains.6
The fibre content of fruit juice is also much lower, because a lot of fibre remains in the peel or the fruit juicer.5
Finally, you will need 4-5 pieces of fruit to make a glass of fruit juice. As a result, a glass of fruit juice contains just as much sugar as soft drinks: about 7 sugar cubes, or 110 calories! Because fruit juice is liquid and you don’t have to chew it, you won’t feel full quickly and you take in a lot of calories unnoticed. This increases the risk of obesity.5
Conclusion
Unfortunately! Despite the fact that fresh fruit juice still contains vitamin C, it contains less fibre, a lot of sugar and significantly more energy than a piece of fruit. The risk of overweight and type 2 diabetes therefore increases with regular use. For that reason, fresh fruit juice is not considered healthy. An occasional glass of fresh fruit juice won’t hurt, but keep the glass small, do not drink it daily and replace part of it with fresh vegetable juice.
1 Gezondheidsraad (2015). Richtlijnen goede voeding 2015. Geraadpleegd van https://www.gezondheidsraad.nl/documenten/adviezen/2015/11/04/richtlijnen-goede-voeding-2015
2 Voedingscentrum (2021). Fruit. Geraadpleegd van https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/encyclopedie/fruit.aspx
3 RIVM (2020). Wat eet en drinkt Nederland? Voedselconsumptiepeiling 2012-2016. Geraadpleegd van https://www.wateetnederland.nl/resultaten/voedingsmiddelen/consumptie/fruit
4 RIVM (2019). NEVO-online versie 2019/6.0. Geraadpleegd van https://nevo-online.rivm.nl/Default.aspx
5 Voedingscentrum (2021). Vruchtensap. Geraadpleegd van: https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/encyclopedie/vruchtensap.aspx
6 Vitamine Informatie Bureau (2021). Bewaren: wat betekent het voor vitamines? Geraadpleegd van: https://www.vitamine-info.nl/nieuwsartikel/article/?tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=297&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&cHash=6e711217fcc9b655e4ab9a39f79176d2