Warning: sweet liquids (even "all natural fruit juice") make you fat

[drscott]

This article discusses those sweet, caffeinated smoothies Starbucks sells, and their desire to sell them to kids without appearing to market to children directly. They are introducing Frappucino™ juice blends; I don't see nutritional info on the new drinks on their web site, but they are probably even worse than the existing Frappucinos, which typically have more than 400 calories of (mostly) sugar (80 g carbs) for a 16-oz serving. This is a sugar bomb -- drinking one of these will spike your blood sugar, leading to more fat deposition followed by a carb-craving coma.

Note that Jamba Juice-ish smoothies are almost as bad, usually having 200+ calories of sugar in the same 16 oz. format. But juicing fruit lets the liquid sugars enter your bloodstream quickly, whereas fruit itself slowly releases its nutritional value as the cell walls break down in your digestive system, which is much better.

I'm not suggesting (as surely some will) that some government should step in to protect children (or anyone else) from unhealthy processed foods. But the constant advertising of fruit juice as something healthy misleads people into thinking they are choosing wisely when they pick up one of these.

It's not unusual for people to have several of these concoctions a week. Then they wonder why they can't stop gaining weight....

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I used to head to Jamba Juice for lunch occasionally, and it didn't take me long to figure out why I would crash hard in the middle of the afternoon. I'd get stupid, I'd feel very hungry, my hands would shake... what a mess I was. No more JJ for me.

[markbuster.livejournal.com]

I can't agree enough.
When I became diabetic, my nutritional counselor told me to view juice as candy.

If anyone local is having troubles with nutrition, I fully endorse "Lite for Life" on 26th, in Noe Valley. Smart, educated people.

[ptownnyc.livejournal.com]

Not that YOU would ever go there, but while on the highway I will sometimes stop at McDonald's. They do give out charts that show calories, etc. for their products. Individually, they are not that shocking, but a full meal there will run you 1500 calories without even trying hard.

It is scary, all these fast food solutions, and no one realizes how many calories they cover.

Myself, I have been on a strict 2000 calorie diet for two months now. I've lost a grand total of 8 lbs. *grumble, grumble*

[airporter.livejournal.com]

Quoting the turtle, "slow and steady wins the race." You'll keep off whatever you lose much better if it's a habit, not a torture.

[ptownnyc.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, I know! But as a 21st century American, I demand instant gratification!

*grumble*

[pagerbear.livejournal.com]

I've got your instant gratification right HERE!

[ptownnyc.livejournal.com]

I think I need lypo, personally. It would be much more fabulous.

[airporter.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. Coffee Frapp, tall, no whip. Saturday afternoons. At a safe time, when a buzz isn't heavy in consequence.

Seriously. I'll stick to black coffee. Which means Timmy's, not Bucky's, for smoothness and no bitterness.

I'm bitter enough.

[sfmini.livejournal.com]

Part of the weight gain problem is that after that spike of blood sugar your body naturally releases insulin. Now with that big an assault it sends a lot, often too much, which leaves most with that crash two hours later. What is missing from that is that the body's natural reaction to low blood sugar is to eat. Not something healthy, but something that will bring up the blood sugar fast. Get on that yo yo and you are eating every two hours all day long. And we wonder why Americans are fat.

I learned with my reactive hypoglycemia to never eat anything with more than a trace of carbs. If I do indulge it is always part of a high protein meal. My blood sugar seldom goes below normal now and I lose weight because I don't get hungry.

[markbuster.livejournal.com]

And fat is very important- good fat. Becuase it slows digestion. If you must have a sweet, get a high fat, small portion one.

The other problem with high gL food, aside from the peaks and valleys, is that eating that way trains your brain about how to get it's glucose fix.

I also will add, for those who still drink, that alcohol totally inhibits your liver's ability to produce glucose for 2 or 3 DAYS(!!) which means that the brain has to crave sugar to get fed. YIKES.

Personally, I am thinking of going on the crack-ho diet.

[sfmini.livejournal.com]

Fat is very good for slowing the digestion. People don't understand how I can eat real $5 a pint ice cream, yet can't have a fork full of birthday cake.

I never knew that about drinking. Just makes me glad I never caught on to it.

Who knows what crack does for it. I don't want to think.

[furfairy.livejournal.com]

There goes my alcohol and crack hobby/diet idea! Damn! It really is true what you say about fat. I think nonfat artificially sweetened yogurt is evil. It's packaged fainting goop. The natural sugar that is in it isn't inhibited by fat. Yet the body reacts to the artificial sugar with an insulin attack way out of proportion to the actual sugar it can effect in the yogurt. The stuff, sold at the greek deli across from my office, makes me catatonic.

[sfmini.livejournal.com]

I've always felt that artificial sweetners did more damage than good. It makes the body think there is something sweet when there isn't anything.

BTW, heard your parents haven't been too well of late. I hope they are doing better and give them my regards.