Is Naked Juice Healthy? Benefits and Downsides

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A bottle of naked juice has about two times the recommended sugar intake limit per day.

Fruit and vegetable juices are lifesaver beverages for those who want to get loads of nutrients without the expense of eating the raw ingredients.

Homemade juices guarantee freshness and health benefits; however, preparing them requires equipment, effort, and a lot of time. Hence, people use bottled and canned juices.

However, one must remember that whole fruit is always a better choice as compared to fruit juices (which are devoid of fiber).

Owing to their claims of being “all-natural” and having “no preservatives added,” naked juice may seem like a powerhouse of nutrients, and a rationale to make it a daily routine to complete the requirement of essential vitamins and minerals.

Despite all the hype and popularity, naked juice has a lot of naysayers questioning its health benefits because they believe the brand is misleading consumers. A deeper glance at their product labels reveals that these beverages are heavy in natural sugar.

What is a naked juice?

Naked juice, a PepsiCo product, is one of the most popular juice brands in the United States. It is well-known for fruit and vegetable smoothies and juices.

3 types of naked juice

1. Naked juice machines
2. Indulgent proteins (vanilla and chocolate)
3. Naked plus

The nutritional content of naked juice

Many consumers perceive “no added sugar” to mean naked juice beverages are sugar-free. A typical 15.2-ounce bottle of naked juice contains approximately 53 grams (3.5 grams per ounce) of sugar. The “no added sugar” tag just indicates that 100 percent of the sugar in the drink comes from fruit.

According to the nutritional information on the bottle, each 450 mL contains:

Nutrient Amount Cholesterol

0 mg (0 percent)

Sodium

25 mg (1.09 percent)

Total carbohydrate

63 grams (22.91 percent)

Sugar

53 grams

Protein

4 grams

Calcium

40 mg (4 percent)

Iron

1.4 mg (8 percent)

Vitamin A

230 mcg (25 percent)

Vitamin C

42 mg (45 percent)

Vitamin B6

0.4 mg (25 percent)

Vitamin B12

1.2 µg (50 percent)

Magnesium

40 mg (10 percent)

Riboflavin

0.3 mg (25 percent)

The American Heart Association suggests an added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about six teaspoons or 24 grams of sugar) for women and no more than 150 calories per day (about nine teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for men. A bottle of naked juice has about two times the recommended sugar intake limit per day.

QUESTION

Which is one of the few drinks to be considered a superfood?
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Benefits of naked juice

The company claims that its beverage offers more nutrition compared to ordinary soft drinks and sodas and has the following benefits:

• No synthetic ingredients or additives
• No synthetic flavors
• Rich in essential vitamins and minerals
• Rich in antioxidants
• Available in several flavors

3 downsides of naked juice

1. Excess sugar content
   • Naked juice contains natural sugar, and fructose (present in fruits).
   • Natural sugar sources digest slowly and keep you fuller for a longer time. It aids in the maintenance of metabolism.
   • Other soda products contain refined sugar (sucrose), made from sugar cane or sugar beets that have been treated to extract the sugar.
   • Refined sugars are rapidly broken down by the body, causing insulin and blood sugar levels to spike.
   • The human body metabolizes all sugars similarly. It is ultimately converted into fatty acids, triglycerides, and cholesterol.
   • While sugar is a source of energy, excessive amounts of it can cause long-term damages including:
     • Tooth decay: As a byproduct of sugar digestion, the microorganisms in the mouth produce acid that can dissolve tooth enamel, resulting in holes or cavities.
     • Weight gain and obesity: Sugar has the potential to disrupt leptin, a hormone responsible for signaling the brain when a person has eaten enough. This may lead to binge eating episodes.
     • Increased risk for diabetes: According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, obesity can cause insulin resistance (sugar cannot enter the cells and remains in the blood).
     • Increased risk for high blood pressure and heart diseases: Excess sugar in the blood is transformed into fats and deposited in the liver.
     • Increased risk for cancer: Consuming excess sugar can lead to inflammation, oxidative stress, and obesity, which can contribute to a person's likelihood of acquiring cancer.
2. High in calories
   • Each bottle of naked juice provides you with a colossal quantity of unnecessary calories and contributes to insulin resistance and more abdominal fat.
   • Studies have reported that people who drink fructose-sweetened beverages have a lower fat-burning rate and resting calorie expenditure than those who drink glucose-sweetened beverages.
3. Low in fiber
   • Fiber helps you lose weight by encouraging feelings of fullness and controlling appetite and food consumption.
   • Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar levels and insulin secretion, which may help minimize blood sugar spikes.
   • Most of the fiber in fruit and vegetable juices is removed during the juicing process, hence naked juice may raise blood sugar levels.