Are green juices as healthy as you think?

Friday, June 29, 2018
Are green juices as healthy as you think?
Are green juices as healthy as you think? Registered Nurse Ali Gorman reports during Action News at 5 p.m. on June 29, 2018.

Green juices are sprouting up everywhere and it may seem like a quick and easy fix to get your vegetables in. But beware, Consumer Reports says they may not be as healthy as you think.

The vegetable-based green juices are the latest health trends.

And they come with promises like put a "pep in your step," or it "can make your body sing."

But beware not all green juices are necessarily good for you.

Jesse Hirsch, Consumer Reports, health editor says "Stay away from the ones that have a lot of fruit juice in them. They're not nearly as healthy as they claim to be."

Take Naked Juice Green Machine - the label touts that it has no sugar added.

But look at the nutrition label - one 15 ounce bottle contains a whopping 53 grams of sugar.

15 ounces of an unhealthy beverage like Coca-Cola contains 49 grams of sugar.

Some of these green juices also contain a surprisingly high amount of sodium, even though most have no added salt.

A 15-ounce bottle of Evolution Fresh Essential Green contains 300 milligrams of sodium - that's 13 percent of an adult's daily value.

And don't expect a lot of fiber from most of these green juices, either.

Amy Keating, Consumer Reports, nutrition expert said, "Pressing the vegetables to extract the juices usually leaves a lot of the fiber behind, so it's best to eat whole vegetables. If you want a vegetable in a liquid form, you could try a drink in a blender, where you purify the whole vegetable."

Also, be wary of unproven label claims, like the promise of better sleep, cleansing your blood, or enhancing your digestive system.

"If the company doesn't have solid evidence to back up their claims, you shouldn't take them at face value," said Keating.

In other words, if it seems just too good to be true, it might just be.

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