Some fattening foods are obvious no-gos when you’re trying to lose weight. You likely know to stay away from most fast food, to lay off the carb-loaded potato chips, and to cut back on large sodas. But some of the worst products that lead to weight gain may surprise you—in fact, they may even be labeled as “healthy.”
To pinpoint the one high-sugar beverage you should avoid if you want to lose weight, we talked to nutritionists Amy Lippert, NTP, Isla Zyair, and Tania Long. All of these experts provided insight on one surprising product that could be holding you back on your weight loss journey: fruit juice.
Sugary fruit juice
Long, Lippert, and Zyair all agreed on one high-sugar food that can lead to weight gain. Although it may sound surprising, you should avoid most store-bought fruit juices if you want to lose weight—their astronomical sugar content just isn't worth it.
"You don't have to totally remove sugar from your diet, but you should pick your sugars carefully," Long says. That means you should always be on the lookout for high sugar contents, even in products that may seem healthy, like juice. "Sugar in excess, especially from foods we deem healthy, is never a good thing," she says.
Long explains that the sugar we consume can contribute directly to weight gain. "Here's a quick formula: a high-sugar diet equals a high-fat diet. So, if you want to reduce weight, start by reducing fructose consumption." One major way to do that is by cutting back on sugar fruit juice.
Zyair says that, shockingly, a lot of fruit juices contain as much sugar as soda. "You need to be especially wary of products labeled as 'juice cocktail,' 'juice-flavored beverage,' or 'juice drink,'" she warns. "These contain very little real fruit juice, with the rest of the formulation composed of water and high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners." Yikes!
Consuming these "juices" regularly will lead to weight gain, Zyair explains. "With their high sugar and low fiber content, these products will instantly ramp up your calorie intake."
Lippert notes that sugary beverages like packaged fruit juices lead to spikes in your blood glucose levels. Ultimately, this can cause you to put on extra weight. "High levels of glucose are damaging to the body, so in response to this spike, the body releases insulin, a hormone that is the key to opening up the door to our adipose tissue (fat) to store the glucose in order to reduce the levels in our blood, leading to weight gain."
So, what are your best options if you're trying to lose weight but still crave a delicious juice from time to time? "It's best to make your own juices from fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably from organic products," Zyair suggests.
Lippert recommends swapping your packaged, high-sugar fruit juices for green juices. This serves as a tasty but healthy alternative. "Green juices are made when foods such as kale, spinach, celery, and cucumbers are pressed and the juice is extracted from the vegetables fibers. If they are made with lower glycemic produce and very limited fruits, it can be a very nutritious and beneficial option over fruit juice," she says. Yum! We can definitely get behind that.
