Do you drink juice? If not, I highly recommend it! I’ve heard athletes say things like, “Juice is full of unhealthy sugar,” and “It’s a waste of calories,” but neither could be further from the truth (we’re talking 100% pure fruit juice here, not “juice drinks, which are often 10% juice and 90% high fructose corn syrup and water).
Here are a trio reasons why I’m a big juice fan:
1) One cup or 8 ounces counts as a serving of fruit, a food group athletes should be getting at least twice a day at a minimum. If you train many hours a day, or juggle performing with school, work, family life (or all of the above), it’s one of the quickest, easiest ways to fit in a few produce servings.
2) Juices do contain sugar, but it’s natural, not added—natural sugars are those put there by Mother Nature, and those shouldn’t be restricted at all—they don’t create the same negative effects in the body that added sugars do (the refined kinds food manufacturers mix in), and those natural sugars are naturally bundled with lots of important nutrients.
3) Juices are awesome sources of antioxidants, which I liken to little body guards that protect healthy cells from being attacked by substances called free radicals—these are oxygen molecules that become unstable, so they attack healthy cells in an attempt to level out (think of a chair that loses a leg, so it goes around trying to steal legs from other chairs to stabilize itself). Athletes’ bodies create even more free radicals than non-athletes, so the antioxidant punch juice packs can have a powerful protective effect.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on antioxidants lately, and I came across a new study that compared the antioxidant capacity of several brands of juice, including apple, açaí, black cherry, blueberry, cranberry, Concord grape, orange, and pomegranate.
The researchers ranked them as follows (in order from highest to lowest antioxidant potency): pomegranate juice, Concord grape juice, blueberry juice, black cherry juice, açaí juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, and apple juice.
This ranking is interesting, but I still recommend buying one bottle of a different type of juice each week, since the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals in each juice are unique, which means “mixing it up” can expose your body to a much broader spectrum of these natural guardians.
I love 100% juice blends too, like pomegranate/blueberry and raspberry/cranberry. Consider trying out some juices that are new to you—I personally love 100% pear juice—I add fresh ginger and ice and blend it for a fruity slushy treat. This also works great with 100% pineapple!
So what are your thoughts about juice? Are you a juice drinker or do you avoid it? Please share your thoughts!