2 Common Juices and Smoothies Mistakes

Juices and Smoothies are not always as healthy as you think!

Here are some common juices and smoothies mistakes that I see happening regularly.

• Mistake #1 applies to juices
• Mistake #2 applies to smoothies

Juices and Smoothies Mistake #1 – Too Much Fruit

Many people use waaaaay too much fruit when juicing (or when ordering fresh juice in a store).

Concentrating all of the juice from several pieces of fruit all into one glass (while totally eliminating all fibre) and then drinking it down in only a few minutes is a bad idea.

Why?  It can:

•   spike your blood sugar,
•   cause cravings for more carbohydrate-based foods later,
•   and cause weight gain.

You get concentrated fructose (the natural sugar in fruit) when you drink juice that’s made from fruit only – much more than you’d ever get eating a single piece of fruit.

Always include vegetables in your juices.  Baby spinach is great – you don’t taste it, but it’s a really healthy leafy green. Carrots add sweetness. Threre are loads of options!

You’ll find loads of yummy juice recipes in “Ultimate Juices and Smoothies for Fun and Health” that have just the right amounts of the goodness you need!

Juices and Smoothies Mistake #2 – Store Bought

Do you know what really goes into store-bought smoothies? The short answer is – a load of sugar!

But hold on, smoothies are healthy, right?

Yes they are, if they’re made correctly. But many smoothie stores (not all) add these to your smoothie:

• Fruit juices and syrups that are processed (not fresh) and sugar-laden
• Frozen fruit purees which have added sugar and very little of the goodness of “real” fruit
• Liquid bases such as rice milk with added sugar.

In fact, a recent analysis showed that an average smoothie at some of the most popular smoothie shops contains a massive 25 teaspoons of sugar – yes, really!

Can you imagine – just one (supposedly) healthy smoothie can contain up to 25 teaspoons of sugar!!! (A can of Coke, for example, has “only” 10 teaspoons of sugar – still more than you should have in one day!).

So, make your own juices and smoothies at home instead of buying them, and avoid all those extra calories and sugar. You’ll be using healthy ingredients with no surprise additives, and in “Ultimate Juices and Smoothies” you’ll find inspiration from all the recipes here.

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