This is an excellent posting by Dr. Mark Dedomenico about the whole “superjuice” thing. You know…acai, goji, noni, mangosteen, all those superfruits that will supposedly give you insane amounts of energy and cure all of your ills.
Honestly, doesn’t it just seem way more logical to eat something that’s fresh and locally grown? How could a fruit possibly maintain its antioxidant levels after the juice has been extracted, exposed to air, pasteurized, shipped across the world and then allowed to sit indefinitely in a warehouse or on a store shelf?
The ‘Superjuice’ Hype
Antioxidants can be found easily, and more cheaply, in your grocery store’s produce section.
Posted by Dr. Mark Dedomenico on Monday, April 13, 2009 4:20 PM
As a physician involved in the field of weight management, I attend many scientific conferences that are in some way related to exercise and nutrition. Most conferences have a special exposition section, where various companies set up booths to display and market their products.
At just about every expo I’ve walked through, there has been someone pushing a “superfruit” juice of some kind or another. Mangosteen, açai berry juice, you name it. I’ve probably been pitched the “greatest” juice 100 times.
When I walk past these super juice booths, the conversation goes something like this:
Pusher: “Hi.”
Me (trying to continue walking to avoid the product spiel): “Hi.”
Pusher: “Have you tried our Supercalifragilisticexpialidocius Juice? It’s made from a mixture of mangosteen, açai berry, and goji juice. It has one billion times the antioxidant capacity of an orange. A teaspoon will give you the same amount of antioxidants as 10,000 servings of fruits and vegetables.”
Pusher pushes a small Dixie-cup sample in my face, stopping me in my tracks. To appease the pusher, I take the sample and drink it. Inevitably, it tastes like a really dry red wine, without the alcohol. I try to restrain my face muscles from contorting.
Me: “Umm, thanks.”
Pusher: “Do you feel it? Do you feel any different?”
Sure. I’m starting to feel annoyed. And there’s an awful aftertaste in my mouth.
Pusher: “Ever since I started taking this, I can’t believe how much different I’ve felt. I have more energy, I have more stamina, I’ve lost weight, my cholesterol is lower, my blood pressure is down … I feel great! And my mom started taking this and her cancer went away.”
Me (thinking to myself): Will this juice help me lower my taxes too? Solve world hunger? Bring peace to the Middle East? Stop the proliferation of reality TV shows?
Pusher: “And it’s only $100 for a one-liter bottle. Imagine how much you would have to pay for 10,000 servings of fruits and vegetables.”
Imagine how much I would pay to leave this conversation.
Pusher: “Here’s a brochure showing all the benefits of our juice and how you can order it.”
Me: “Thanks.” (But I’m thinking, “No thanks.”)
While walking away, I look at the brochure. On the front page is a smiling face of a beautiful woman who is holding a glass of this juice. Yes, I’m sure the juice is what makes her look this way. And the brochures are filled with testimonials by people like “Greg” and “Judy” and “Sally” and “Richard”—all identified only by their first name. And there are references to scientific studies that, upon closer inspection, have little to do with the product.
Obviously my story has been exaggerated for effect, but you get the point. These “superjuices” are super hyped. The question is whether there’s anything to the hype. Choice Online, an Australian consumer watchdog group, looked into some of these juices and published their results. They tested the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of many of these juices, and compared them to the TAC of fruit that you can get at your local grocery store. A single serving of these juices only had 9 to 34 percent of the TAC of a Red Delicious apple! In fact, according to their tests, three servings of one brand of mangosteen juice would fall short of the TAC of a cup of berries!
So much for these juices being “super.” And the prices of these juices are ridiculous…$24 to $85 per liter or more. You’re better off eating the standard fruits and vegetables that you can get from your local supermarket.
The costs of these juices in terms of empty liquid-sugar calories that don’t fill you up far outweigh any benefit. Their benefits actually don’t match up to a plain old piece of whole fruit. With whole fruits, you’re getting the fiber and water that help fill you up, and about half the sugar as these so-called super juices. These juices just don’t have the same composition as the whole fruit or fruit components or extracts.
The bottom line is, rather than spending money on these expensive juices, you’re better off eating a variety of whole fruits and vegetables. Not only will you get more antioxidants, but you’ll also get the other benefits that juice can’t provide—fiber, for example. And at the same time you’ll be saving money while saving your health.
