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Nutrition

See a video produced for the Fruit Juice Matters campaign called Grove to Glass, which talks about the nutritional benefits of fruit juice aimed at Health Professionals

Have a read of our pamphlet which explains the facts and nutritional benefits of 100% fruit juice.

Here are some facts about fruit juices

Few people manage to achieve the five-a-day target.

In the UK, only 8% of children aged 11-18 years, 31% of those aged 19-64 years and 26% of those aged 65+ meet the five-a-day recommendations [1]

The current UK national average is:

·      under 3 portions (2.7) for children 11-18 years  

·      4.2 portions for adults aged 19 to 64 years

·      4.3 portions for adults aged 65 to 74 years

·      3.4 portions for adults aged 75 years +

[1] National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Results from Years 7-8 (combined) of the Rolling Programme (2014/2015 - 2015/16).

Fruit juice can help people achieve their five-a-day target

·      Consuming fruit juice is associated with a higher, not lower, consumption of fruit and vegetables across all ages and appears to be a marker of a ‘health conscious diet’

·      Fruit juice drinkers are 42% more likely to achieve their five-a-day

·      Drinking ≤150ml fruit juice has no impact on teens’ free sugar intake

[1] Gibson, S (2012) Fruit juice consumption in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS 2008-2010): associations with dietary quality and indices of obesity and health. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2012) 71, (OCE3), E232

[2] Gibson S and Ruxton C.H.S (2016) Fruit Juice consumption is associated with intakes of whole fruit and vegetables, as well as non-milk extrinsic sugars: a secondary analysis of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2016) 75, (OCE3), E259.

100% fruit juice is a valuable source of nutrients and fruit bio-actives

VITAMIN C: Supports normal immune function and reduces oxidative stress (antioxidant effect); Contributes to normal collagen formation in the gums, teeth, bones and skin; 

POTASSIUM: Helps maintain normal blood pressure and normal muscle function

FRUIT BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS – FLAVONONES, CAROTENOIDS, PECTIN: Carotenoids more bioavailable in 100% OJ than in whole oranges

FIVE A DAY: 150ml of 100% orange juice counts towards 1 of your 5-A-Day

FOLATE: Contributes to healthy psychological function  

TOTAL SUGARS: 13.6g, which is 15% of RI for sugars GI of 50, which is low

ENERGY: 61.5kcals, which is 3% of total calories in a typical 2,000 calorie diet

Sugars and Fruit Juice

  • The sugars in fruit juice are naturally occurring and always come directly from the fruits that have been squeezed

  • The amounts and types of sugars vary from fruit to fruit and are mostly fructose, but also include glucose and sucrose

  • SACN report on carbohydrates and health (2015) classifies them as free sugars

  • Children 11 years + and adults are advised to have no more than 5% of daily energy from free sugars = ~30g

  • A 150ml glass of OJ provides 13.5g of free sugars = 15% of an adult’s RI* for total sugars and 45% of an adult’s max free sugar intake  

  • The naturally-occurring sugars in fruit juice come packaged with water, vitamins, minerals and fruit bioactive compounds 

Fruit Juice and Body Weight

  • 150ml of fruit juice contains around 60-80kcals, which is around 4% of the RI for energy (2,000kcal) 

  • Fruit juice provides the same amount of calories and sugar as a piece of fruit (61.5kcals in orange juice vs. 57.4kcals in an orange)  

  • People are not over-consuming fruit juice: mean fruit juice consumption is 83mls/day (11-18 yrs) and 52mls/day (adults 19-64 yrs)- that equates to just 34 and 21kcals

  • SACN report on carbohydrates and health (2015) found no evidence that 100% fruit juice contributed to BMI, adiposity or weight gain

  • Research shows that fruit juice drinkers are more likely to have a healthier diet, lower BMI and lower waist circumference than non-drinkers [1, 2]

[1] Gibson, S (2012) Fruit juice consumption in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS 2008-2010): associations with dietary quality and indices of obesity and health. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2012) 71, (OCE3), E232.

[2] Celis-Morales C et al (2017) Correlates of overall and central obesity in adults from seven European countries: findings from the Food4Me Study. Eur J Clin Nutr.