Drinking 100 percent fruit juice may sound like a healthy option, but it’s a far cry from eating the real deal—whole, fresh fruit. In fact, new research finds that drinking just one glass of 100 percent fruit juice every day leads to gaining close to half a pound over three years. Yet increasing whole fruit intake by one serving each day resulted in about a pound of weight loss over three years. Why is eating whole fruit better for you than drinking juice? Here’s a look at how fruit juice affects your body and how it’s different from eating whole fruit.

JUICE
Fiber is the structural portion of fruits…the part that does not get juiced. So, there is a lack of fiber in juice (commercial or homemade). This is significant because fiber is what slows down digestion and regulates blood sugar levels. Fruit juice is a more concentrated source of sugars than whole fruit; a single eight-ounce serving of 100 percent fruit juice contains about 30 grams of sugar (and has 60 to 120 calories) on average — that's almost eight teaspoons os sugar! More specifically, a cup of grape juice has about as much sugars as 50 grapes! The high sugar and low to no fiber content of juice means that juice may contribute to rapid elevations in blood sugar, and increase your appetite. Over time, this combination can lead to weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

WHOLE FRUIT
In contrast, whole fruits are full of soluble fiber. The fiber, which aids digestion, helps the body to absorb the sugar slowly, keeping blood glucose levels in check, and your body feeling fuller longer. While apples, oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, and blackberries are packed with fiber, raspberries ace the race with the highest volume of fiber (8 gm per cup).

In addition, eating fruit is a great way to regulate your appetite and hunger-associated cravings. In turn, fruits provide enough, but not excess, calories to perform all the body activities with ease.

While drinking 100% fruit juice is certainly healthier than drinking soda or fruit-flavored beverages with artificial sweeteners, nothing beats drinking a cup of water and eating whole fruit raw. So skip the straw and snack on fresh fruit instead. Here are some ideas to add more fruit into your diet:

• Mix them into your salads.

• Add sliced apple or banana to your oatmeal or eat them with your nut butter of choice.

• Sprinkle fruit, such as berries, into your pancake or waffle batter.

• Add sliced fruit to your cereal or oatmeal.

For more ideas about how you can get more whole fruits into your diet, and for additional information about fruits and fruit juices in general, click the button below to book a Complimentary Assessment with Success Studio’s Registered Dietitian, R.D. Helen Ballew. What’s your favorite fruit? Let us know in the comments below!