Juice provides body with what it needs during National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme Eat Right, Bite by Bite, gives you the flexibility and versatility to make small changes that are right for your personal lifestyle. But eating right means more than just food, it includes beverages too. Adding a small glass of 100% juice to your morning and/or afternoon meal or as a snack in the middle of the day, not only tastes great, but can make a difference when it comes to bumping up your fruit and even vegetable intake too.
Since US surveys show more than 80% of Americans, adults and children are not getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diet on a regular basis, every little bit counts. Drinking a glass of 100% juice in addition to eating more fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit is a good way to move the needle.
“Good nutrition doesn\’t have to be restrictive or overwhelming,” said JPA’s registered dietitian, Diane Welland. “Even small changes like enjoying a daily glass of juice, when done consistently, can have a positive cumulative effect on health.”
According to the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines, 100% juice is recognized as part of the fruit group, meaning one cup of 100% fruit juice is equivalent to one cup of fruit. This is because juice has the same nutritional profile as the fruit it\’s squeezed from. Just like fruit, 100% juice contains similar vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, magnesium and potassium, as well as a wealth of powerful plant bioactives (compounds that have beneficial effects on human health) like polyphenols and carotenoids, and no added sugars.
Research shows drinking 100% juice, in both children and adults, is associated with better quality diets than non-juice drinking, and does not affect weight status. Studies also show that people who drink juice have higher intakes of whole fruit overall and lower intakes of saturated fat and added sugar than those who don\’t drink juice.
Check out the wide variety of healthy beverage recipes on the Juice Product Association\’s SipSmarter website, which can help you eat right, sip by sip.
