Added sugars could be destroying the health benefits associated with the healthiest items on your menu.
Smoothies have become one of the most convenient ways for people to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, and as such have become a popular offering from many restaurants, coffee shops, and cafés.
Widely considered a nutritious, healthy and convenient alternative to eating whole fruits, smoothies have become a popular health trend for adults and adolescents who are always on the move. However, many commercial smoothie juice mixes are made with apple and pear juices that contain added sugars, which in turn, spike up the sugar content of the drink, making it just as dangerous as a can of soda.
Finding a commercial smoothie juice without added sugar can be the difference between serving a healthy food option and an unhealthy sugary snack. When looking for a smoothie juice supplier, make an effort to read the labels and ask about the ingredients found in your smoothie. Choose a smoothie mix with no sugar added, no GMO’s, and no artificial colors or flavors that could compromise the nutritious integrity of your beverage.
How Much Added Sugar is too Much?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of Americans can attribute a whopping 16 percent of their daily calorie intake to added sugars. Delicious by design, consuming too much sugar in your daily diet has been linked to an array of health problems and increases risk for chronic diseases. The American Heart Association recommends that adult women consume no more than six teaspoons (25g) of added sugars per day, while adult men may consume only nine teaspoons (36g) per day, which means that it is quite possible that you are serving your customers more than their daily allowance of added sugars with just one smoothie. In fact, the Harvard School of Public Health found that more than 70% of Americans eat at least 22 teaspoons of added sugars per day.
How are Added Sugars Different from Natural Sugars?
Food that contains sugar in its natural form tends to be highly nutritious. Whole fruit, for example, is nutrient-dense, high in fiber, and low in glycemic load. These vitamins, minerals, and nutrients help slow down and reduce the amount of sugar absorbed by the body. So, when an apple is consumed, it buffers the rate at which the apple’s sugar reaches the liver. This means that the liver’s capacity to digest the sugar is not overwhelmed, and in turn, the liver won’t turn the excess sugar into fat. However, when refined, concentrated sugar consumed in large amounts (like in a soda), causes blood glucose and insulin levels to rise in the body, while also increasing triglycerides, inflammatory mediators, and oxygen radicals, which can leave people at an increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses.
Health conscious consumers will want to know the ingredients that are going into the smoothie they are about to order. Smoothie mix suppliers that can provide your establishment with commercial smoothie juice without added sugar will also be able to provide brochures and promotional materials that can demonstrate you are serving a product that has been consciously selected with the customer’s health AND taste buds in mind.
Choosing a commercial smoothie juice without added sugar can help to ensure that your restaurant is serving a drink that is both delicious and nutritious.