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Sugar is absolutely addictive. And juice is just sugar. Whole fruits are healthy because of the fibers and nutrients in the pulp+skin. The fiber slows absorpti

• sjwright 8y ago
  It’s not “just sugar.” It’s mostly fructose, the worst sugar, known to stress the liver like alcohol. And unlike most other calories it does a poor job of triggering satiation. Fruit juice is evil.
  • copperx 8y ago
    So, even eating spoonfuls of sugar is better than drinking OJ?
    • sjwright 8y ago
      Probably about the same but at least the spoonfuls of pure table sugar (sucrose) don’t come with pretensions of healthfulness. And without the huge quantities of citric acid, the table sugar is less hyper-palatable. The associated acids make fruit juices almost perfectly engineered to maximize consumption. (The recipe is so perfect that Coca-cola uses surprisingly similar ratios.)
  • sjwright 8y ago
    To expand on my post, I should add: Fruit is evil. The fruits we buy in the supermarket (or hipster organic farmers market) bare little resemblance to the less sweet and less palatable fruits that humans would have eaten prior to cultivation. Through an ongoing process (over multiple millennia) of artificially selecting for higher sugar content, we have turned nature’s fruits into the equivalent of candy bars. If you want nutrients, eat vegetables.
    • wwweston 8y ago
      Awareness that fruit is not a pure health food is good. "Equivalent of candy bars" may be overstating the case. Raw fruit at least delivers its sugars in a matrix of fibers which change the absorption profile, induce satiety, and even provides a natural limit on how much you can consume, among other benefits. There are sometimes better choices than an apple, but an apple is definitely better than a candy bar (or most breakfast cereals, granola bars, etc).
      • sjwright 8y ago
        I admit "Equivalent of candy bars" is definitely overstating the case, but it's hard to accurately state the case in a world where meme-grade sound bytes have the most impact. Absent sufficient nuance, the "fruit is healthy" message is borderline dangerous advice.
    • risaacs99 8y ago
      I hope people don't take this kind of simplistic advice on such a complex topic. Actual fruit, although it tastes sweet, is impossible to eat in quantities that are as harmful as junk food. They also provide tons of fiber, vitamins, anti oxidants and other beneficial nutrients. Some fruits are sweeter than others (pineapple, for example), but for the most part the vast majority of people would be better off if they ate more fruit. Vegetables are great, too.
      • sjwright 8y ago
        If you're talking about certain fruits in certain contexts, I agree with you in principle—if you are educated about the nutritional reality of fruits, you can certainly include them in a healthy diet. But I still maintain that absent sufficient nuance, the "fruit is healthy" message is borderline dangerous advice. Without nuance and education, "fruit is healthy" translates to "fruit juice is healthy." Without nuance and education, "two serves of fruit per day" translates to "I'll eat a fruit salad and a glass of orange juice for lunch at my sedentary desk job." Protip: chop up a large broccoli and sauté in a wok with olive oil, salt, pine nuts and chili flakes for a few minutes. Finish by squeezing half a lemon on top. Serve alongside a modest serving of protein. That shit is a meal, and damn tasty.
• the8472 8y ago
  > Whole fruits are healthy because of the fibers and nutrients in the pulp+skin. In that case, shouldn't we distinguish between juice stripped of those vs. unfiltered juice?