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Store-Bought Juice Labels Busted!

Fresh real juice in Tampa, Florida

Juicing at home may be fast and easy, but it does require cleanup, leading many to cut out the work by purchasing juice from the store. One of my clients found me because she had made exactly this mistake: She bought a bottle of juice, drank it happily, and then looked at the label. That bottle of green juice contained more sugar than two regular sodas! To add insult to injury, that juice was part of a line of prepackaged cleanses. Don’t make the same mistake.

Here’s what you should know about less-than-fresh juice.

  • 100% Juice doesn’t mean much. Food companies can legally print “100% Juice” on their labels while still including additives, flavorings and preservatives (not to mention a lot of added sugar and salt).
  • Key minerals, vitamins and live enzymes are destroyed by the pasteurization process most juices go through – and if that doesn’t do it, keeping juice on the shelf for days will!
  • “Not from Concentrate” juice often still uses “flavor packs” to add flavor back in after a lengthy storage process.
  • Even in juices labeled “All Natural,” synthetic ingredients may be hidden, like Fibersol-2, Fructooligosaccharides, or Inulin. Naked Juice was sued for using “All Natural” in their label while containing all of these ingredients.

It’s okay, you don’t have to clean your juicer to reap the benefits of fresh juice (even if it does just take a few seconds to rinse after use!). We have all the fresh, low-sugar, super-food-power-packed, straight-from-the-organic-farm juice you want. We carefully compose each juice recipe to maximize health benefits and flavor – and, you’re invited to check out our labels any time. We know you’ll like what you see and love what you taste!

SUMMER MATH

Sometimes you add ideas to your diet, sometimes you subtract (and when it comes to kale, you always multiply!). For summertime, there are a few nutritional “must-add” and definitely some “take-aways” to keep yourself healthy and in perfect working order:  

Additions: 

Water, Water, Water

Staying hydrated come summertime is vital to your health and wellbeing. Remember, your body is a graceful, gorgeous temple…that also houses more water than anything else. Replenishing yourself frequently will help keep your energy high, your spirits higher, and even allow you to sleep better at night.

GMO – Free

Look for foods that are not genetically modified organisms. A GMO has genetic material from unrelated organisms – like a fish gene in a tomato (um, weird). In theory, GMO’s breed hardier plants by helping them resist drought and pests. But what GMO’s do to humans over a long period of time is not known. Wait until you know the facts before you buy into the fads.

Subtractions:

Faux wheat

Yes, pure wheat and whole grains can be good for you (if you’re not gluten intolerant). But not everything labeled as “wheat” is truly made from wheat. In fact, wheat bread is generally made from white flour, and thus the same as eating Wonderbread. Anything can be labeled as wheat if the flour used comes from the wheat plant. Check your label for the ingredients list and if it contains the words “wheat flour” or anything “enriched” or “blanched” pass over it. Instead go for a 100% whole -grain like Ezekiel or Sunflower bread, and look for the terms “100% pure” and “organic whole grains.”

Fat Free

No, really. Anything fat free is to be avoided, unless it’s naturally made so. If fat is removed, so is flavor…which means food manufacturers added artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, or sugar to make it taste decent. The exception here is natural fats, or “good fats” as they’re often called. Nosh on avocados or nuts guilt free.

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