This is a guest post from Kerry McLeod of eBrandAid.
It seems that juice manufacturers are capitalizing on our culture's obsession with weight by putting their juices on a "diet!" Just walk down any juice aisle and find many of your favorite juices in low-calorie, sugar-free varieties.
We're all looking to cut calories - but are these emaciated juices sacrificing nutrition for fewer calories?
Case in Point: V8 V-Fusion Light Peach Mango
Ingredients: Reconstituted Vegetable Juice Blend (Water and Concentrated Juices of Sweet Potatoes, Yellow Tomatoes, Carrots, Yellow Carrots), Reconstituted Fruit Juice Blend (Water and Concentrated Juices of Apples, Peaches, Oranges), Contains Less than 2% of the Following: Mango Puree Concentrate, Natural Flavoring, Ascorbic Acid (Added to Help Retain Color), Citric Acid, Sucralose, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate).
Decoding the Fine Print
Well, it looks like V8 ought to change its name to V4! After our sleuthing staff read the fine print on the back label and then compared this product to V8 V-Fusion's regular (100% juice) variety, we discovered the lighter version kept only 50% of its juice! Take a look.
- Since the light version contains 50% less juice, you're getting just half the nutrition!
- Sure, it contains half the calories and less sugar than the regular version, but that's only because some of the natural sugar from the juice went out the window along with half the nutrition and flavor.
- For taste, they've added Splenda, a poorly tested, artificial sweetener made from some of the same ingredients you'd find in bleach--yuck!
- Many beverages using Splenda tend to leave a weird aftertaste. This "light" juice is no exception - it sure left a bad taste in our mouths!
Bottom line: The "light" versions of most juice drinks may sound like healthier alternatives; however, manufacturers usually compensate for the lack of calories (read: sugar/carbs) by replacing much of the juice with water and then adding artificial sweeteners to boost the flavor.
Don't you feel sort of cheated?
Reality Check
If you're looking for a convenient way to drink your fruits and veggies, then stick with the V8 V-Fusion 100% Juice variety that gets our BestBrands Stamp of Approval. Drink it and you'll get a FULL serving of fruits and veggies in one 8 oz glass, plus all the great taste. What you won't get is anything artificial!
Let's recap: When shopping for a healthy juice drink look for varieties that offer 100% juice on the front label, not those "lighter" wannabe cocktails packed with artificial sweeteners.
About the author: Kerry McLeod is the chief Brand Doctor for eBrandAid.com. Kerry's mission in life is to teach food shoppers how to cut through the clutter at the grocery store in order to find the truly healthy brand-name foods.
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