Sugar is a key ingredient in sugary sodas and juices (after water). In the case of cola, we are talking about 20-25 g of sugar per 250 ml – which is equivalent to 5 teaspoons. At the same time, grape and apple juices are the leaders – they contain about 6-8 tablespoons of fast carbohydrates per glass.
The situation worsens because both cola and other drinks, including juices, contain not ordinary table sugar but fructose syrup. It has a high GI and provokes a sharp release of insulin. With regular use leading to the development of diabetes.
How much sugar is in cola?
Cola and other sodas (including Pepsi, Sprite, Mirinda, etc.) are high in simple carbohydrates. Depending on the recipe, the manufacturer can use both sugar and fructose syrup. The advantage of syrup is that it is easier to mix with a drink – and also has a less sugary sweet taste.
However, glucose-fructose syrup is the main enemy of proper nutrition. It raises blood glucose levels as quickly as possible, leading to an overproduction of insulin – which forms resistance. In the future, the body will experience hunger without a real need for food – which leads to overeating.
If a person leads a sedentary lifestyle, the regular use of cola (and other drinks containing sugar) disrupts the hormonal balance of the body. The role is also played by the fact that when you gain excess weight, adipose tissue starts producing the hormone leptin, which turns off the feeling of satiety.
Are juices really healthy?
Any sugary drinks – both cola and fruit juices – contain fast carbohydrates. Regardless of whether it is soda, packaged juice or freshly squeezed. Natural juice will contain natural fructose, and packaged juice will contain fructose syrup.
Sweeteners and the label “sugar free” do not solve the problem. Studies suggest that sweeteners act on the brain – having received a signal in the form of a sweet taste, but not having received the energy of carbohydrates, the body in one form or another activates insulin or the appetite hormones ghrelin and leptin.
Tables of sugar content in drinks
| Type of drink | Sugar content in 100 ml | spoons of sugar per glass |
| Grape juice | 14-15 g | 8 spoons |
| Apple juice | 10-12 g | 6 spoons |
| Peach juice | 12-13 g | 6 spoons |
| pear juice | 11-12 g | 6 spoons |
| Orange juice | 8-10 g | 5 spoons |
| Cherry juice | 7-8 g | 4 spoons |
| Pomegranate juice | 7-8 g | 4 spoons |
| carrot juice | 4-5 g | 2.5 spoons |
| Tomato juice | 3-4 g | 2 spoons |
| For comparison: sweet carbonated drinks (cola, pepsi, sprite) | 10 g | 5 spoons |
Only tomato and carrot juices can be considered really useful – as they mainly contain complex carbohydrates and various types of soluble fiber. In addition, pomegranate and cherry juice differ in having an average glycemic index.
Orange juice contains the same amount of sugar as cola – 5 tablespoons per glass, and its image of the most useful is somewhat exaggerated. Apple, peach, pear, and grape juices can contain even more carbs—up to 8 scoops per glass.
Vitamin content in juice
100 ml of orange juice contains 80% of the daily value of vitamin C and 4% of the vitamin A value – while the amount of any other vitamins in this juice is significantly lower.
Other juices are also difficult to consider a complete source of nutrients. While grape, cherry, and pomegranate contain antioxidants (which give them their dark color), the high sugar content can easily outweigh the health benefits.
How is packaged juice made?
Most packaged juices sold are classified as “reconstituted”. Manufacturers make such juices from water, sugar (or fructose syrup), citric acid, vitamin C, juice concentrates, and so-called “recycled” juices.
Recycled juices are juices obtained using the pulp-wash technology. This process consists in the fact that the remains of oranges or apples left after obtaining the juice of direct extraction are first soaked in water, then settled, and then squeezed again. The discharge of this water is the “juice”.
Then why are fruits useful?
It must be understood that fiber, one of the most useful ingredients in fruits, is removed from the composition during the production of juice, not vitamins. When you eat a whole fruit, the fiber “balances out” the negative effects of the sugar in that fruit.
Ultimately, the body digests the carbohydrates found in fruit more slowly than those in juice (not to mention cola), resulting in a slower rise in blood glucose levels. Which first gives a surge of energy, and then – a feeling of weakness and a desire to refresh yourself with sweets again.
The sugar content of packaged (and fresh) fruit juices can easily exceed the sugar content of cola—as high as 5-8 scoops per glass. In this case, most often we are not even talking about sugar, but about fructose syrup – its use is even more harmful to health and metabolism.