Superfruit juices

You may have come to this book looking for insights about exotic fruits renowned as top antioxidant superfruit juices. This subject will be addressed but perhaps with unexpected truths. The base of science for most existing superfruit products has not been adequately explained, leaving a knowledge gap between actual fruit compounds in the product and the health value expected from them. We re going to get the facts about superfruits straight in this book ... 

So, what is it that sets superfruits apart from regular fruits or currently marketed superfruit juices I believe it s an optimal mix of natural fruit compounds—nutrients and phytochemicals—that should be in everyone s diet. 

Many advocates of superfruit juices believe they are getting a whole-fruit serving (or more, in some exaggerated cases ) by consuming one serving of juice. It s not always the case. Let s look at the accompanying table to... 

WHAT S MISSING FROM SUPERFRUIT JUICES THAT WHOLE FRUITS NATURALLY CONTAIN ... 

Nutrients Content in Whole Superfruits Content in Superfruit Juices Comments on Content... 

Many manufactured superfruit juices have been processed so extensively that the natural antioxidant ACE vitamins are completely absent, even if the product is advertised as an antioxidant superfruit juice. Double—or even triple—pasteurizing is the main reason for vitamin loss. Check the Nutrition Facts panel on such products to see if ACE vitamin contents are at good-to-high percentages of the daily values. 

Superfruit juices that contain 100 percent pure juices have nutrient value, but generally, these juices don t live up to the overall nutritional value of the whole, fresh fruit. Among makers of numerous 100 percent juice products, major brands such as Tropicana and Minute Maid are usually the easiest ones to find ... 

Second, plant compounds called phytochemicals are nonnutrient components of plant foods that may impart health benefits, similar to the pigment antioxidant polyphenols, on the basis of which nearly all superfruit juices are promoted with eye-catching advertisements. Because these phytochemicals await final scientific proof of what they really do in the human body, they are regarded neither as nutrients nor as essential to health. 

Here are a few facts (1) ORAC is an artificial benchmark applying only to conditions in a test tube (2) the ORAC test is fraught with technical inconsistencies as a measurement from lab to lab and often within a lab and (3) there is no concrete, scientific evidence that ingesting more ORAC-enriched foods or superfruit juices means better antioxidant protection in the body or provides any specific health benefit. See Part I for more explanation. 

Remember the way to get the most dietary antioxidants (ACE vitamins) is to eat color-rich fresh fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods regularly rather than only using superfruit juices or extracts that claim to have miraculous health benefits. 

By my definition, superfruits should be all about sustaining regular healthy intake of nutrients from wholefoods, not processed, blended, and diluted juices—a definition that maybe surprising to you. Did you know that most of the juices that stimulated the concept of superfruits are highly processed so that there is little left in them except color and taste They are marketed on myths of ancient uses for unproved health benefits, not on the nutrient value of the natural fruit that this book emphasizes. 

My message is that superfruits should be your constant reminder and daily source of nutrients. Contrary to the way superfruits are marketed currently—as antioxidant-rich juices—this book is about whole fruits... 

H aded on the New York Stock Exchange, orange juice is the only superfruit product that is a commodity in global trade. 

Among twenty-five clinical trials on cranberry juice or extracts in early 2009, half were investigating specifically these anti-adhesion/anti-bacterial effects. The largest, most advanced study is a series of related phase II clinical trials by the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health involving 250 to 400 female patients in each study. This research is distinctive among superfruits in that it is related not to the hallmark of public interest in superfruits—antioxidant properties—but rather to antibacterial effects. 

Regardless, the reputation of pomegranate as a superfruit is based entirely on its juice and polyphenol extract products, which are typically low in nutrient content, so it s always wise to check the Nutrition Facts panel on your favorite juice brand if nutrients are your goal. 

Tropicana (tropicana.com)—makes fifteen varieties of 100 percent juices from oranges and other citrus and superfruits, some blended and fortified with vitamin C, calcium, omega fats, or extra pulp (fiber)... 

How about adding roasted unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, walnuts, and a few superfruit pieces to your salad Blueberries and red raspberries speak for themselves with their pleasing colors, juice, and one-of-a-kind tastes, you can hardly wait to get the refreshing nuggets on your fork. 

Ripe bananas and pineapple juice. Though these two fruits are not mentioned in the industry as superfruits (they should be, in my opinion), bananas and pineapple juice are nevertheless inexpensive and agreeable companions for almost every smoothie. If you like their taste, use them often for the bonus of natural sweetness, extra nutrients, and versatility in recipes. If you use pineapple juice in your smoothie recipe, you probably wont need any other sweetener. 

Analyses of yumberry juice show a cross section of essential nutrients, but levels are not as high as in the top superfruits. More than a hundred reports on bayberry are in the medical research database, most of these identifying polyphenols extracted from the tree bark or leaves. Ellagic acid is the dominant polyphenol in yumberry juice among many isolated polyphenols, including high contents of tannins and anthocyanins. 

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