Warning over fruit juice 'excess'

Fruit juices and smoothies may seem to be a healthy choice, but dieticians are warning people not to drink too many.

Figures published this week showed Britain now consumes 2.2 billion litres of juice drinks a year - around 36 litres for every man, woman and child.

But experts from the British Dietetic Association said people should eat a range of fruit and vegetables too.

And they said some drinks, particularly dairy-based smoothies, were high in calories.

The British Dietetic Association issued a note of caution: "Small quantities of fruit juice are a helpful way to get more vitamins, but the British diet is not particularly low in vitamin C.

"If you look at a typical serving size, you are getting a lot of calories very quickly. As being overweight is more of a public health problem than a shortage of vitamin C, people need to view these drinks with caution."

Dr Phillips said fruit juices only count as one portion a day, no matter how much someone drank, because the aim was to encourage people to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables to get a range of nutrients.

"It's fine to have it as one of your portions, but it can't count as all five - no matter how much you drink." BBC 1/26/05

Steve - We have been saying this for so long. Juice is not a replacement for fruits and vegetables. Fruit juice is instantly absorbed as sugar (the meat/fiber of a fruit or vegetable, which is removed in juice, greatly slows down the rate in which the fruit/vegetable turns into sugar).