What's the deal with...Vegetable Juices?
Super greens, super foods, super juices! The world of wellness is super saturated with everything 'super' and it's hard to know if you're up to date with the times. I browsed the market of 'super' fruit and vegetable juices in the UK, and this is how I rated them. Have a look at what's in them, and what to be wary of.
My Winner!- Nina's Savse Super Blue Smoothie- Pronounced 'Sav-Say', this range of smoothies promises to be cold-pressed and raw, with never any added sugar. The Super Blue is made of Blueberries, Kale, Beetroot, Spinach, Blackcurrant, Apple, Strawberry and Orange, and has won a ton of awards. It's got a slightly gritty texture, but that isn't unpleasant, and it tastes good and wholesome. Because it's a smoothie, and not a juice, it's got more of the natural fruit fibre in it, and it's also lower in sugar than the Naked smoothie, at 7.6g per 100ml, meaning one of these bottles has just under 20g of sugar in it. 20g of sugar is still a lot, but if you're looking for a good boost of energy, plus the antioxidants, this could be a great choice.
Vegesentials 'Half Fruit Half Veg'- Beetroot, Pomegranate and Carrot Juice, advertised as being great for blood pressure, immune system, skin and muscular function. Whilst this is a juice, and not a smoothie, the texture is quite grainy, which is a good sign as it means there is still fibre in there! With 9.2g of sugar per 100ml, you'll be getting around 23g of sugar per bottle, but tons of nutrients and their added health benefits. Not the most delicious juice in the bunch I tried, but certainly not disgusting! Could be a great contender if you're battling a cold!
Innocent's 'Bright Spark' and 'Easy Greens' Juices- Both these juices are cold pressed, meaning a lot of the natural goodness hasn't been destroyed in the making of them. 'Bright Spark' is Orange, Carrot, Lemon and Ginger, which is refreshing and energising, with a definite taste of veg. It has 25.7g of sugar in a bottle, and no fibre, which aint great.
The 'Easy Greens', is Apple, Cucumber, Celery, Spinach, Ginger and Lime, and is certainly veg tasting, but I liked it a lot. It tastes like a vegetable juice should taste, but still has 25.1g of sugar in every bottle, making this the sweetest veg you've probably ever had! Whilst you shouldn't have these every day, they are both great alternatives to fizzy drinks and other juices, which are packed with sugar and very little other nutrition.
Naked 'Green Machine'- Made with 3 1/3 Apples, 1/3 of a Kiwi, 1 banana, a slice of pineapple and 1/3 of a mango, this juice is then packed with spirulina, chlorella, broccoli, spinach, blue green algae, garlic, barley grass, wheat grass, ginger, parsley and added vitamin A and Vitamin C. Yes it's got weird stuff in it, but I've heard they're good for you...for one reason or another! This juice is delicious, and thick like a smoothie, but watch out for the sugar content! With 11.5g of Sugar per 100ml, one bottle (which isn't that big) will set you back over 50g of sugar!!! Yes it's from fruit, but because it's juiced up, your body doesn't even need to digest the fibre so all that sugar will get absorbed pretty fast! Perhaps 1/2 this bottle would be a great energiser for a work out!?
So what's my verdict?! They're better for you than a can of soda or a chocolate bar by far, and a great way for some people to get a boost of nutrition when needed during the day, but don't be fooled into thinking you should guzzle these babies down on a regular basis. If you ate the amount of fruit and vegetables in these bottles you'd be way better off, but that isn't feasible a lot of the time. As with everything you consume, check the labels, and watch that sugar intake! No amount of spirulina or kale will negate the easily available sugar content of these so-called 'super' drinks!
