Green juices are a popular health trend for people trying to find a quick and easy way to get more veggies into their diets.
The diets come with promises, such as adding a “pep in your step” or “can make your body sing.” But Consumer Reports says read the labels because not all green juices are necessarily good for you.
“Stay away from the ones that have a lot of fruit juice in them. They’re not nearly as healthy as they claim to be,” said Consumer Reports’ health editor Jesse Hirsch.
Naked Juice Green Machine's label touts it has “no sugar added,” but the nutrition label reveals a 15-ounce bottle contains 53 grams of sugars. A Coca-Cola has 49 grams of sugars.
Some of these green juices also contain a surprisingly high amount of sodium, even though most have no added salt.
One 15-ounce bottle of Evolution Fresh Essential Greens contains 300 milligrams of sodium. That’s 13 percent of an adult’s daily value.
And don’t expect a lot of fiber from most of these green juices either.
“Pressing the vegetables to extract their juice usually leaves the fiber behind, so it’s best to eat whole vegetables. If you want a vegetable in a liquid form, you can try a drink in a blender, where you purify the whole vegetable,” said Consumer Reports’ nutrition expert Amy Keating.
Also, be wary of unproven label claims, such as the promise of better sleep, cleansing your blood or enhancing your digestive system.
“If the company doesn’t have solid evidence to back up their claims, you shouldn’t take them at face value,” Keating said.
Two healthier green juice options, according to Consumer Reports, are Suja 12 Essentials and BluePrint Motion Potion.