Healthy juice beverages are in high demand. Everybody drinks lots of water, but it’s also good to stock up on the nutrients. This is where juice comes in.
You need to drink about 64 ounces of water per day, for the average person. So how much juice do you need? It’s not really so much about how much juice per say, but what overall nutrition you need from different sources. Fruits and vegetables should make up a large part of your calorie intake for the day. It is recommended by the Food and Drug Administration that you have at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You can get these servings in many ways, but one way is through juice beverages.
One thing to remember when picking a juice beverage is its true health content. Is it mostly sugar and only 5% juice? You will want to find as much pure juice content as possible, to get the healthiest product.
Recently, I took a trip to Germany, and found that in Germany you can find 100% bottled juice almost everywhere, and you have so many different options to choose from. You can find black currant juice, cherry juice, and grape juice sold at most restaurants, and at stands on the side of the road. These flavors are hard to find in the United States.
I have compiled some off-the-beaten-path juices as well as some that you will find steadily on grocery shelves. Some of these juices are your normal American juice, whereas others are more exotic. Enjoy!
1. My favorite juice is made by Looza, from Belgium. Looza makes a few different flavors of juice, but my two favorites are the mango and apricot nectar. Looza nectars contain 35% juice. This isn’t 100%, but it’s up there. The nectar contains only juice, sugar, and water. It has 30% of the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin A and 10% of Vitamin C, with 31 grams of sugar in each 8 ounce serving. There are four servings per container, and it sells for about $3.50. In Hagerstown, MD I have only found this product at Martin’s food stores. However, you can order it online!
2. My second favorite juice is a product of Switzerland. It is called Michel Bodyguard. This product has 50% juice, even better! It is great against preventing colds and flu, with its blend of orange and passion fruit juices. There is also added Vitamin A, C, and E. There are only 11 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving. The plastic eight ounce bottle costs about $2. The only problem is that you can only find it in Europe, mainly in Switzerland. It is made by Rivella, but I haven’t found anywhere that you can get it shipped to America. (If you know of somewhere, please tell me!)
3. My third favorite juice is Kern’s nectars. These contain 29% juice. There are many kinds available. My favorites are the guava, apricot and mango. You get a 12 ounce can for about 50 cents in the grocery store. Most grocery stores in Maryland now carry Kern’s nectars. I used to only be able to find them in California back in the 90’s. The only downside to the Kern’s nectars is the higher sugar content of 45 grams per 12 ounce can. If you do the math, it really isn’t much more than 35 grams for an eight ounce bottle.
4. Fourth on the list is PlumSmart by Sunsweet. This is a 100% juice that helps keep your digestive system healthy. It has a very interesting flavor, and can be found on the shelves in most grocery stores. You can also buy it directly online for $3 per bottle. Added nutrients include fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese.
5. V8 gets more than one spot on the list. First, I pick v8 V-Fusion juices. Why? You get a full serving of fruit and a full serving of vegetables in each eight ounce glass. The flavors are also unique, such as the peach mango and pomegranate blueberry. These are 100% juice and contain Vitamins A, C and E.
6. V8 also makes it for the V8 Splash. This is just juice, no vegetables. The V8 splash has some interesting flavors as well, and has only 70 calories and 18 grams of sugar per eight ounce serving. You also get Vitamins A, C and E.
7. Did you know that Tropicana makes a line of juices called Pure? The juice comes in four flavors, including pomegranate blueberry and mango orange. These are 100 % juice! It is in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. You get Vitamins C and E, with 130 calories per 8 ounce, with 29 grams of sugar.
8. Welch’s 100% grape juice. I use this as a replenisher. I find it replenishes nutrients lost after running, to help get back to balance. (I also drink a bottle of water after running.) This grape juice is sold in 10 ounce bottles, and has 210 calories, with 52 grams of sugar. Yes, the sugar content is a little high. You do get a full day’s supply of Vitamin C, however.
9. Tropicana 100% apple juice and cranberry juice. These two tropicana juices are sold in many sizes, with one being a10 ounce plastic bottle, There is added calcium, as well as 100% of the day’s supply of Vitamin C. There are 140 calories and only 31 grams of sugar.
10. Sam’s Choice Supreme Naturals PomCherry Perfection. This is 100% juice, pomegranate and cherry. You will only find this at Sam’s Club or Walmart. There are 35 grams of sugar and 150 calories per eight ounce glass.
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