Is juice "natural?"

[Jwolf]

It depends on whether the fibre from the fruit is being mashed up with the rest. In smoothies, it usually is (although not necessarily the commercial ones).

huh? how do you think they are made?

with juice! that's the thing - as far as i can tell on the website, the first ingredient in the jamba juice smoothie he referenced is juice. so of course there's less fibre than if you ate the fruit whole (or just blended whole fruit in a blender).

but her statement is confusing because it makes it sound like there is no fruit in the commercial ones. then it would be just a juice-y.

You get a better texture if you add liquid to the fruit before blending. Believe me if they could get away with not adding juice they would. It just adds to fruit costs.

I said "not necessarily in the commercial ones" meaning that not all commercial smoothies are made from just pureed fruit. Also, sometimes they are made from fruit but the pulp (fibre) is filtered out, like in a juicer.

I make my smoothies at home with pureed fruit, yogurt, and milk but no juice.

[deerdree]

I know that many things that people think are "smoothies" are actually made with juice, sometimes more juice than actual pureed fruit.

like arthur's "smoothies". their "it's that close to fruit" commercials drive me crazy!

[Samantha]

I make my smoothies at home with pureed fruit, yogurt, and milk but no juice.

but you are still using a liquid in the smoothie. And an emulsifier. So your smoothie isn't 100% fruit either.

[Samantha]

I know that many things that people think are "smoothies" are actually made with juice, sometimes more juice than actual pureed fruit.

like arthur's "smoothies". their "it's that close to fruit" commercials drive me crazy!

that's why you need to go to the better place.

[QuickChick]

I think along with using natural ingredients, portion is key. If I were to make a smoothie, I'd put in probably a cup of fruit, probably one of those little containers of yogurt, and a dash of milk. I wouldn't look at all that stuff pre-smoothie and think "wow that's a lot of food". Some of them put in a banana, a cup of strawberries, an orange, a bunch of yogurt, a glass of milk, and it ends up being Starbucks Venti sized. Looking at all that stuff pre-smoothie, I don't think most people would see all that food and think "snack". The (delicious) place Samantha mentions makes their smoothies so big, I used to have trouble finishing one after a 30K run! They were so good though... I miss having that place in the beach. They were the ONE place that put protein in that I actually couldn't taste, too. But yeah, I would only have one after a very, very long run.

[Samantha]

I think along with using natural ingredients, portion is key. If I were to make a smoothie, I'd put in probably a cup of fruit, probably one of those little containers of yogurt, and a dash of milk. I wouldn't look at all that stuff pre-smoothie and think "wow that's a lot of food". Some of them put in a banana, a cup of strawberries, an orange, a bunch of yogurt, a glass of milk, and it ends up being Starbucks Venti sized. Looking at all that stuff pre-smoothie, I don't think most people would see all that food and think "snack". The (delicious) place Samantha mentions makes their smoothies so big, I used to have trouble finishing one after a 30K run! They were so good though... I miss having that place in the beach. They were the ONE place that put protein in that I actually couldn't taste, too. But yeah, I would only have one after a very, very long run.

for the record a large one at the delicious place has a cup of fruit (real fruit that is IQF not pureed), 10 oz of juice or soy or milk and a scoop of either sorbet or frozen yogurt (or a half scoop of each) and ice. Then the powdery stuff is added if you want. So the ingredient list is very short. You can also get a snack size which is smaller.

[QuickChick]

That's a good idea... not sure if they had the snack size option when we had one in the Beach. Mmmmm... they were so dangerously good.

[Jwolf]

I didn't think we had Booster here but apparently we do! Three locations in Vancouver-- I should give it a try.

And Sammy- just to be clear-- I didn't mean to say that smoothies wouldn't have some kind of liquid-- I know they need something other than fruit puree. But the ones that are called "smoothies" that are mostly juice, ice, sugar, some fruit, and some other additives are the ones more like the pie comparison. Yours sound more like what I'd make at home. I want to try.

[kab]

Juice has never been allowed in my house. Even as I grew up we had two choices; the whole fruit or water. This continued to my family and my kids never had juice while they lived at home. My rationale was simply juice = soft drinks and both are bad for your teeth. Eating fruit is good for your teeth. My kids don't have any cavities and are 23 and 21. They also never ate at McDonald's but that's another story. They thought I was a real hard a$$ but they appreciate it now and have great eating habits.

[turd ferguson]

The thread is bringing back funny memories of a smoothie I had in 2006 in Houston. You know a smoothie is memorable when you can still taste it six years later.

http://www.smoothieking.com/smoothies/n ... hp?size=40

When one of your "eating right" smoothies rings up 1100 calories, you know you're doing something wrong. I'd pick on the 2070 calorie smoothie, but according to the website its "developed specifically for gaining weight".

[La]

Problem is he lost cred when he jumped from "chopped fruit" to pie, and then used a commercial smoothie with lots of additives as evidence.

Commercially produced juice itself isn't great especially if you are watching calories. It still doesn't compare to pop which is just pure sugar and no nutrition-- and its sugar comes from high-fructose corn syrup, not natural sugar. So even there-- calorie for calorie it's not the same.

But unfortunately his good points got lost when he stumbled into the smoothie argument.

HFCS is natural, too!

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/ind ... ners-safe/

What about HFCS?
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is also being demonized. “High” fructose isn’t really so high. HFCS is 55% fructose. Sucrose (table sugar) is 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Honey is 50% fructose. Apples have 57% fructose; pears have 64%. Fructose has been blamed for obesity, diabetes, heart disease and a wide variety of other illnesses, but the evidence is inconclusive. Avoiding fructose would mean avoiding all sources of fructose, not just HFCS. Avoiding fruit is probably not healthy. An International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Expert Panel concluded that “there is no basis for recommending increases or decreases in [fructose] use in the general food supply or in special dietary use products.” HFCS is 25% sweeter than sucrose, so you can use less of it and get fewer calories. Limiting total calorie intake is healthy, and both HFCS and aspartame can contribute to that goal.

[dgrant]

for the record a large one at the delicious place has a cup of fruit (real fruit that is IQF not pureed), 10 oz of juice or soy or milk and a scoop of either sorbet or frozen yogurt (or a half scoop of each) and ice. Then the powdery stuff is added if you want. So the ingredient list is very short. You can also get a snack size which is smaller.

I'd respectfully suggest that Booster Juice is exactly what that blogger is talking about when comparing something to a piece of pie. Some of their smoothies have nearly twice as many calories (by volume) than and 25% more sugar (by volume) as a can of Pepsi. Then factoring in that the standard serving size is equivalent to two cans of Pepsi... it packs a wallop. It's dessert masquerading as a healthy option.

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/booster-juice/

[Spirit Unleashed]

Natural is just another marketing term to confuse buyers and make a quick buck.

We seriously need an overhaul on food an drugs advertising and reporting.

One thing I was surprised to learn recently was the misleading nature of "natural flavour". Producers can and do simulate the flavour profile of, say, an orange using sugars from corn, and label that "orange" product as "naturally flavoured". The flavour just has to come from any natural source, not necessarily the actual natural thing it's supposed to taste like.

I would never have known this.

[Spirit Unleashed]

My smoothies are fruit, tofu, protein powder, spinach and water; blended in a high speed mixer. I arrive at work with about 60 oz, and sip all morning.

[Jwolf]

HFCS is natural, too!

HFCS might be "natural" but it is processed in a different way in our bodies than sucrose or fructose and gives more of an insulin response. I also thought it was modified in ways that the quote you gave didn't describe, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

Lots of things that are natural aren't necessarily good for you. And man-made isn't necessarily bad either.

[Engmomma]

Eight or nine posts to debunk a goofy blog post. Must be a new record.

Is this the point where we turn on each other?

No this is when I start telling you about the MInistry inspector that told me putting our solvent through a screen (to take out the lumps and bumps before the pump) was "processing".

Yeah. No. Does that mean i need a "processing" license for all my trucks?

idiot

Crap...this isn't the NET? carry on then