A fruit drink with only 10 percent real fruit juice may as well be a can of Coke, for the all the sugar you're getting and all the vitamins you're not getting.
On the other hand, a 100 percent juice such as apple, orange, grape, pineapple or grapefruit is a lot closer to eating a fruit. A 3/4 cup counts as one of the 2-4 daily servings of fruit that nutritionists would like you to consume every day.
Take a look at the U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid, as it has been adapted for drinks.
At the second level, the stuff you're supposed to drink the most of, are pure juices. Milk is at the next level. Sweetened juices are at the top -- in the "use sparingly" category.
These official 5-A-Day recipes capitalize on the good stuff and minimize the bad.
3 cups seedless green grapesBlend grapes, juices and mint until smooth. Freeze the mixture in a shallow baking pan until it's almost solid, which will take 1-2 hours depending on your freezer. Remove from the freezer, break up the pieces, and blend in the blender again.
2 tablespoons 100 percent apple juice
Juice of one lime
1 fresh mint leaf (optional)
Serve with a lime wedge. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 91 calories, 1 g fiber, 1 total g fat, no cholesterol, 5 mg sodium.*
3 cups frozen fruit (such as frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or melon)Blend first three ingredients until smooth. Sweeten to taste. Serves 4.1 cup fat free milk or non-fat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 3 tablespoons sugar or the equivalent in artificial sweetener
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 115 calories, 1 g fiber, 0 total g fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium.*
