It used to be that your juice choices were pretty much orange, tomato or apple. Not anymore. Last year, fruit-juice products racked up nearly $20 billion in sales in the United States, and more than 475 new products appeared on the shelf. Name a fruit and it's probably in a juice: cranberry, grapefruit, tropical fruits, strawberry, kiwi, peach, grape - alone or in exotic combinations.
Consumers now get nearly one-third of their vitamin C from juices, primarily cranberry and citrus juices, says Consumer Reports.And according to Tropicana, one of the country's largest juice marketers (it had sales last year of $1.5 billion - up 16 percent from the year before), the fastest growing segment of the juice market is the not-from-concentrate chilled juices. Last year NFC (as they call them in the business) juices surpassed frozen concentrate sales for the first time ever. And NFC was the second most popular form of orange juice, behind ready-to-serve juice made from concentrate.
Fruit juice can be a healthful alternative. But, says the Consumer Reports On Health newsletter, there are some important points to keep in mind. Some fruit juice beverages are not much better for you than soda - many contain 10 percent or less fruit juice.
Government regulations now require all juice products to disclose the actual percentage of juice they contain. Those that are less than 100 percent fruit juice must add a word like "beverage," "cocktail" or "drink" to show that they are diluted.
That doesn't necessarily mean you should avoid all but the 100-percent juices, says the newsletter. Some fruits - like apricot, mango and passion fruit - are too gooey or strong-tasting to be drunk straight. Others, like cranberry and lime, are too sour. Other juices may be weak, even at full strength. Apple, pear and white grape juice, for example, are often added to other flavored juice drinks.
From a nutritional standpoint, says the newsletter, frozen, canned, bottled or carton juices all have roughly the same amount of nutrients. So, your choice should be based on taste or convenience.
Another important thing to remember: Even the best of juices can't compete with whole fruit in providing fiber. Fiber is the primary reason why health experts recommend five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables. So don't let juice replace all the fruit in your diet.
And while juice can be a good source of nutrition, the calories can add up if you drink glass after glass. A six-ounce glass of fresh fruit juice typically contains around 70 calories and a glass of processed juice can contain twice that amount.
With juice as with any other foods, check labels and make sure it fits into your overall diet.