Love Drinking Naked? Think Twice Next Time
Now that I have your attention, let me clear one thing up. I’m talking about the juice. Not the uh, thing you were thinking of. Okay, now that we’re on the same page, I want to shed some light on a rather controversial subject. Naked fruit juice isn’t healthy. Or, at least, it isn’t healthy in the way you think it is.
Nope, those brightly colored “health juices” you see in the work vending machine or in the convenience store fridge aren’t helping you be healthy. In fact, they could be hurting your health and making it harder for you to remain energized throughout the day.
So, what’s going on here?
The Naked Truth
A bottle of Naked Juice seems pretty healthy at first glance. The package is decorated with brightly colored pictures of whole fruit and even veggies on some varieties. A closer look reveals that each bottle contains anywhere from 90–100 percent fruit juice. Not bad, right? Wrong.
While it is certainly better to down a Naked Juice than a can of pop, it isn’t much of an upgrade. If you were to eat the fruit shown on the bottle, you’d be in good shape. However, drinking the juice alone is a problem. In essence, the vehicle is faulty, not the passengers.
For context, let’s look at what’s in a bottle of a more popular flavor the brand offers: The Strawberry Banana Fruit Smoothie.
Here we see that in one bottle there is a whopping 44g of total sugars. That’s 20 percent of your daily recommended intake from one bottle of juice. Now, things could be worse. After all, the smoothie contains no added sugars (just the natural fruit sugar) and has a good amount of both vitamin C and potassium. However, the big thing to note is the 0g of fiber present.
For comparison, let’s say you sat and ate the 22 strawberries, 1 ¾ apples, and 1 1/3 banana used for the smoothie. You would consume almost 30g of fiber from this fruit if it was eaten fresh. That 30g is your entire recommended daily allowance.
But what’s the big deal?
Sugar Shock
Fiber has many benefits, mostly related to digestion. One of these is that dietary fiber (found in fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains) helps control your blood sugar levels. By slowing the absorption of sugar, fiber helps us process it more efficiently.
So, if you were to eat that pile of fresh fruit, you’d be getting plenty of fiber to help counteract the 44g of sugar. In fact, it would be much healthier. However, when you chug the Naked Juice smoothie, that fiber isn’t present. Instead, you bombard your body with more sugar than it can physically handle. The result? A spike in your blood sugar that will lead to a dip in energy and feelings of hunger a few hours later.
What makes things worse is how quickly you drink the juice compared to eating the fruit. You could drink the smoothie in a third of the time it would take to eat the fruit. This means, once again, your body is getting hit with sugar faster than it can process it.
Is Naked Juice Actually Healthy?
As I said, you could definitely do worse… but you could also do better. Naked Juice isn’t quite as healthy as you’d think at first glance. Despite their fruit-laden packaging and advertised “no added sugar” the juice is nothing more than a carb bomb waiting to spike your blood sugar levels.
Next time you think about picking up that smoothie, think twice. Instead, reach for a healthier alternative. One of my favorites is Bai Antioxidant Infusion. These drinks feature just 6g of carbs and are packed with antioxidants that keep your cells safe from damage. They also provide 20 percent of your daily vitamin C.
My favorite part though is the 70mg of caffeine per bottle. That’s about the same as a cup of mild coffee. Which makes sense considering that Bai uses the extract from coffeefruit to give their drinks a little extra burst of energy, naturally. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, this is a healthier alternative.
So, what do you think? Do you drink Naked? Love Bai? Did something here make you think twice about what you’re eating (or drinking)?
Let me know in the comments section below. And, as always, feel free to share this post on your socials.
Until next time, stay well!
