It’s 7:00 am; you have hit the snooze button on the alarm clock for one more “last” time. You are already running late for office. So where can you borrow time from? Sure enough, fruit juice carton in lieu of breakfast and you will still have a chance of making it to the office on time. The fruit juice carton might have saved the day but do you know fruit juice cartons also come in umpteen variants?

What’s under the hood?

If your carton reads “punch,” “cocktail,” “drink,” “ade” or “beverage” it’s not 100 percent juice. In fact, chances are the fruit content in it is closer to single digits if not zero. Most parts of these drinks are water, sugar, flavours, colours and other assorted junk. Products rich in real fruit juice are typically labelled that way, something like “100% fruit juice”.

Additives

Like it or not, most bottled, canned or boxed fruit juices come with additives. Additives to especially avoid in your fruit juice are artificial sweeteners like Sucralose, Neotame, Acesulfame potassium, Aspartame & Saccharin known to harm the bodies’ neurological system. Artificial colours are also best avoided because links have been found between ingesting them and hyperactivity. They are also linked to cancer. High fructose corn syrup is another common additive to watch out for as studies have shown it to have links to diabetes. Artificial flavours & flavour enhancers like Senomyx affect the perception of taste. They should be avoided because they might have neurological effects.

The transparency test

This one’s really simple and logical. Hold the bottle/jar/glass against light and check for how opaque/transparent your juice is. The thicker and more opaque juice variants tend to have more real fruit juice content.

Pasteurised or not?

That’s correct, these days, fruit juices are pasteurised too. Pasteurisation under high pressure reduces the bacteria count and increases the shelf life of juices without affecting the vitamin or the mineral content in the juice. Pasteurised juices are definitely better than non-pasteurised one’s.

Not from concentrate

Traditionally, juice makers used to create “concentrates” from juices by removing water from them. These concentrates are easier to store over long periods of time. The juices are then made by “reconstituting” them by adding water. The juices which are labelled “not from concentrate” are the healthier ones and the ones to go for.

Organic

Organic foods are grown without using pesticides and are obviously the ones to go for over non-organic variants.

Nothing beats the real thing

The traditional, old-fashioned fresh fruit juice made at home or served fresh at a nearby restaurant turns out to be the best of the lot. Be your criteria sheer taste, vitamin content or mineral content, fresh fruit juice beats canned, bottled or boxed juices hands-down.

These days it’s not easy anymore to pick what to have for breakfast. The mind-boggling variety of blends, brands, acronyms and flavours can confuse you. That said every person is different. People have different body types, body mass indices, routines and exercise regimes. There’s no guaranteed “one size fits all” breakfast or breakfast supplement. That’s where personal trainers come in handy. They start with a thorough assessment of your body type, schedule, exercise routine, allergies and tendencies. a good personal trainer can come up with the perfect breakfast for you that can keep you up and running for all of your workday.

Meanwhile, there you are, trying to make a dash towards the last empty parking slot in the office lot. Will you punch in on-time today? Just about, cheers!

Author Bio: If you want to book a session with a Sutherland Shire Personal Trainer or to sign up for a complimentary Boot camps session, visit Boot Camps Sydney.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: Sutherland Shire Personal Trainer