{"id":556900122697,"title":"Is Naked Juice Actually Healthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers","created_at":"2022-08-30T22:06:36-04:00","body_html":"\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\/\/ \u003c![CDATA[\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"Is Naked Juice Actually Healthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers\",\n \"keywords\": \"is naked juice healthy\",\n \"description\": \"Our Registered Dietitian (RD) and research team review the ingredients in Naked Juice to give our determination on whether the fruit drinks are actually healthy. We discuss the high sugar content in Naked Juice, and compare the drinks to whole fruit consumption and to other popular fruit juice brands.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/is-naked-juice-healthy\",\n\"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"creator\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"editor\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"DJ Mazzoni\",\n \"honorificSuffix\": [\n \"M.S.\",\n \"R.D.\",\n \"C.D.N.\",\n \"C.S.C.S.\"\n ],\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/dj-mazzoni\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dj-mazzoni-rd-cdn-cscs-00a33038\/\",\n \"http:\/\/djmazzoni.com\/\"\n ],\n \"jobTitle\": \"Medical Reviewer\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"food, nutrition, health, wellness, microbiome, exercise, workouts, strength and conditioning, probiotics, metabolism, obesity, weight loss, science, medical research, clinical trials, cardiovascular health, diet\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": [\n \"State University of New York College Oswego\",\n \"D’Youville College\"\n ]\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"image\": {\n\"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Is_Naked_Juice_Healthy_Thumbnail_Optimized.png?v=1661912194\",\n\"width\": \"2500\",\n\"height\": \"2500\"\n},\n\"citation\": [\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5837313\/\", \n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3620743\/\",\n\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/wellness-milkshakes-chronic-vitamin-overdose-1.6363562\",\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8228760\/\",\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/31262696\/\",\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8504907\/\",\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23810279\/\",\n\"https:\/\/www.oceanspray.com\/Products\/Product-Filter?category=juices\u0026subcategory=100%+juice\"\n],\n\"mentions\": [{\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"natural flavor\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"added vitamins\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"Ocean Spray 100% Juice\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"fruit juice\"\n }\n],\n\"datePublished\": \"2022-08-30\",\n\"copyrightHolder\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n},\n\"publisher\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/\",\n \"description\": \"Illuminate Labs is the most transparent supplement company in the U.S., and is a leading publisher of research-based health information.\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"supplements, science, nutrition, exercise, health, medication, pharmaceutical, wellness, diet, weight loss, medical research\",\n \"publishingPrinciples\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/editorial-guidelines\",\n \"memberOf\": [\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"U.S. Chamber of Commerce\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Certified B Corp\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.bcorporation.net\/en-us\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Natural Products Association\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.npanational.org\/\"\n }\n ], \n \"logo\": {\n \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Illuminate_Labs_Favicon_48x48_7595c3cc-e27b-47b8-a4fe-edcc7ed9b29a.png?v=1666502785\", \n \"width\": 48,\n \"height\": 48\n},\n \"foundingDate\": \"2019-01-30\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/illuminate-labs-supplements\",\n \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpgSJAsIPb-fZ25djtTxBEA\"\n ]\n }\n}\n\/\/ ]]\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Is_Naked_Juice_Healthy_Article_Headaer_Image_Optimized.png?v=1661911606\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDisclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s) and published for informational purposes only. We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to fruit juice consumption.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dc\"\u003eN\u003c\/span\u003eaked Juice is one of the most popular juice brands, and is often considered a healthier alternative to drinks like water and soda given that it’s made with real fruits.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBut how much sugar does Naked Juice actually have, and is this a concern? And are there any additive ingredients that may be unhealthy?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn this article we’ll review the ingredients in Naked Juice and answer these questions, as well as share our thoughts on whether Naked Juice is healthier than other popular consumer products.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIngredient Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNaked Juice comes in a variety of flavors. The good news is that all of their smoothies have predominantly whole foods ingredients. We know from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5837313\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eextensive medical research\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e that consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMost Naked Juice drinks provide several servings of fruits and vegetables. As an example, “Green Machine” contains ingredients like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eapple juice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003epineapple juice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ekiwi puree\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eparsley\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBecause of the high fruit and vegetable content, Naked Juice is quite rich in nutrients such as potassium and Vitamin C.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNaked Juice does contain some additive ingredients we recommend avoiding from a health perspective. The first is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003enatural flavor \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ewhich is included in many of their drinks. As documented in a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3620743\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEnvironmental Health Perspectives\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e journal, there are some toxicity concerns regarding natural flavoring agents. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe recommend avoiding this ingredient entirely, unless the manufacturer details what specific flavoring agents are used.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNaked Juice also contains added vitamins and minerals in some of their drinks. Their “Ranbow Machine” drink contains added \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eVitamin B12\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eVitamin B3\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ecalcium\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, among others. We strongly disagree with the practice of food manufacturers adding seemingly-random blends of vitamins and minerals, nor do we understand the practice. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe have not seen any medical research suggesting a health benefit of random vitamin and mineral supplementation, and taking added vitamins and minerals may be unsafe for consumers who already have normal levels of those vitamins and minerals. A wellness brand \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/wellness-milkshakes-chronic-vitamin-overdose-1.6363562\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003erecently had to recall\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e milkshakes due to toxicity caused by their vitamin and mineral additives.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe recommend that consumers avoid health products with added vitamins and minerals. It seems illogical to take random blends of these ingredients without a documented deficiency.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNot all Naked Juices contain questionable additives. Their “O-J” drink has one single ingredient: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eorange juice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhile most of the ingredients in Naked Juice are fruits and vegetables, we don’t recommend any of their drinks except for “O-J” due to the additives, and even their “O-J” drink we would only recommend in certain circumstances as detailed below.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIs The Sugar Content Unhealthy?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNaked Juices contain a relatively high amount of sugar. Their “Orange Mango” drink contains 51 grams (g) of sugar per bottle, and their Tropical Guava drink contains 50 g sugar, as a few examples.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe want to note that this is not added sugar, which we consider unhealthy in all cases. This is natural sugar from the fruits in the drinks, which makes the healthiness a bit more complex.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn healthy consumers, we don’t consider the sugar content of these drinks to be an issue. A \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8228760\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNutrients\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e journal analyzed data on fruit juice consumption and found that the benefits outweighed the risks. In particular, there appears to be some reduced risk of stroke and reduced risk of nutritional deficiencies with fruit juice consumption.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHowever, for individuals with metabolic syndrome (obesity, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure), we believe the high sugar dose from these drinks may make them a bad choice. At the very least, we’d recommend that people with chronic conditions speak with their doctor prior to regularly consuming drinks with this much sugar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAre Whole Fruits Healthier?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOur opinion is that whole fruit consumption is healthier than fruit juice consumption. Whole fruits provide dietary fiber, which can reduce the blood sugar and insulin spike, and is healthy for the digestive system.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/31262696\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical study\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e from 2019 analyzed data on over 10,000 patients and found that whole fruit consumption was associated with reduced incidence of obesity, while fruit juice consumption was not.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnother \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8504907\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emeta-study\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eJournal of Diabetes Investigation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e found that whole fruit consumption, but not fruit juice consumption, reduced the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnother interesting \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23810279\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ecomparative study\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e found that the nutrient levels in whole fruits were significantly higher than the nutrient levels in fruit juice. The antioxidant levels in some fruits were up to 54% higher than juice made from the same fruit, and sugar levels in the whole fruits were around 35% lower.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOur opinion is that whole fruit consumption is healthier than fruit juice consumption, but both appear to be healthier than avoiding fruits entirely.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOur Fruit Juice Brand Recommendation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe recommend \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.oceanspray.com\/Products\/Product-Filter?category=juices\u0026amp;subcategory=100%+juice\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOcean Spray 100% Juice\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e for fruit juice. As suggested by the category name, the juices sold in this product line contain 100% juice, and some of their products contain no questionable additives like natural flavor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHere are the Ocean Spray 100% Juice products we’d recommend, that contain only fruit juice and no additives:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e100% Grapefruit Juice\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePure Cranberry\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePure White Grapefruit\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePure Tart Cherry\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe juices listed also have significantly lower average sugar content per serving than Naked Juice.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe don’t recommend any Naked Juice drinks other than Naked Juice “O-J,” and we only recommend that product to consumers who are already healthy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNaked Juice drinks are composed mostly of fruits and vegetables, but most of their products also contain additive ingredients like natural flavor or added vitamins that we recommend avoiding. Most Naked Juice drinks contain a significant amount of sugar, upwards of 50 g per bottle in some cases.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHigh sugar content from fruit juices shouldn’t be a problem for healthy consumers, but it may be an issue for diabetic consumers or those with metabolic syndrome.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhole fruit consumption appears to be healthier than fruit juice consumption based on medical research, but fruit juice consumption does have proven health benefits.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe would recommend several Ocean Spray 100% Juice drinks for consumers who don’t eat whole fruit and are set on fruit juice. Several of their products contain only fruit juice with no questionable additives, and these products are much lower in sugar than most Naked Juice drinks.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":49281925193,"author":"Calloway Cook","user_id":26601750601,"published_at":"2022-08-30T22:17:31-04:00","updated_at":"2022-10-23T02:22:10-04:00","summary_html":"We review the ingredients in Naked Juice to give our determination on whether the fruit drinks are actually healthy. We discuss the high sugar content in Naked Juice, and compare the drinks to whole fruit consumption and to other popular fruit juice brands.","template_suffix":"","handle":"is-naked-juice-healthy","tags":"_related:nutrition, _related:vegan, _related:vegetarian"}

Is Naked Juice Actually Healthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers

Is Naked Juice Actually Healthy? A Registered Dietitian Answers


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Read our Editorial Guidelines to learn more about what makes our site the premier resource for online health information.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s) and published for informational purposes only. We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to fruit juice consumption.

Naked Juice is one of the most popular juice brands, and is often considered a healthier alternative to drinks like water and soda given that it’s made with real fruits.

But how much sugar does Naked Juice actually have, and is this a concern? And are there any additive ingredients that may be unhealthy?

In this article we’ll review the ingredients in Naked Juice and answer these questions, as well as share our thoughts on whether Naked Juice is healthier than other popular consumer products.

Ingredient Review

Naked Juice comes in a variety of flavors. The good news is that all of their smoothies have predominantly whole foods ingredients. We know from extensive medical research that consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

Most Naked Juice drinks provide several servings of fruits and vegetables. As an example, “Green Machine” contains ingredients like apple juice, pineapple juice, kiwi puree and parsley.

Because of the high fruit and vegetable content, Naked Juice is quite rich in nutrients such as potassium and Vitamin C.

Naked Juice does contain some additive ingredients we recommend avoiding from a health perspective. The first is natural flavor which is included in many of their drinks. As documented in a medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, there are some toxicity concerns regarding natural flavoring agents. 

We recommend avoiding this ingredient entirely, unless the manufacturer details what specific flavoring agents are used.

Naked Juice also contains added vitamins and minerals in some of their drinks. Their “Ranbow Machine” drink contains added Vitamin B12, Vitamin B3 and calcium, among others. We strongly disagree with the practice of food manufacturers adding seemingly-random blends of vitamins and minerals, nor do we understand the practice. 

We have not seen any medical research suggesting a health benefit of random vitamin and mineral supplementation, and taking added vitamins and minerals may be unsafe for consumers who already have normal levels of those vitamins and minerals. A wellness brand recently had to recall milkshakes due to toxicity caused by their vitamin and mineral additives.

We recommend that consumers avoid health products with added vitamins and minerals. It seems illogical to take random blends of these ingredients without a documented deficiency.

Not all Naked Juices contain questionable additives. Their “O-J” drink has one single ingredient: orange juice.

While most of the ingredients in Naked Juice are fruits and vegetables, we don’t recommend any of their drinks except for “O-J” due to the additives, and even their “O-J” drink we would only recommend in certain circumstances as detailed below.

Is The Sugar Content Unhealthy?

Naked Juices contain a relatively high amount of sugar. Their “Orange Mango” drink contains 51 grams (g) of sugar per bottle, and their Tropical Guava drink contains 50 g sugar, as a few examples.

We want to note that this is not added sugar, which we consider unhealthy in all cases. This is natural sugar from the fruits in the drinks, which makes the healthiness a bit more complex.

In healthy consumers, we don’t consider the sugar content of these drinks to be an issue. A medical review published in the Nutrients journal analyzed data on fruit juice consumption and found that the benefits outweighed the risks. In particular, there appears to be some reduced risk of stroke and reduced risk of nutritional deficiencies with fruit juice consumption.

However, for individuals with metabolic syndrome (obesity, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure), we believe the high sugar dose from these drinks may make them a bad choice. At the very least, we’d recommend that people with chronic conditions speak with their doctor prior to regularly consuming drinks with this much sugar.

Are Whole Fruits Healthier?

Our opinion is that whole fruit consumption is healthier than fruit juice consumption. Whole fruits provide dietary fiber, which can reduce the blood sugar and insulin spike, and is healthy for the digestive system.

A medical study from 2019 analyzed data on over 10,000 patients and found that whole fruit consumption was associated with reduced incidence of obesity, while fruit juice consumption was not.

Another meta-study published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation found that whole fruit consumption, but not fruit juice consumption, reduced the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

Another interesting comparative study found that the nutrient levels in whole fruits were significantly higher than the nutrient levels in fruit juice. The antioxidant levels in some fruits were up to 54% higher than juice made from the same fruit, and sugar levels in the whole fruits were around 35% lower.

Our opinion is that whole fruit consumption is healthier than fruit juice consumption, but both appear to be healthier than avoiding fruits entirely.

Our Fruit Juice Brand Recommendation

We recommend Ocean Spray 100% Juice for fruit juice. As suggested by the category name, the juices sold in this product line contain 100% juice, and some of their products contain no questionable additives like natural flavor.

Here are the Ocean Spray 100% Juice products we’d recommend, that contain only fruit juice and no additives:

  • 100% Grapefruit Juice
  • Pure Cranberry
  • Pure White Grapefruit
  • Pure Tart Cherry

The juices listed also have significantly lower average sugar content per serving than Naked Juice.

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Conclusion

We don’t recommend any Naked Juice drinks other than Naked Juice “O-J,” and we only recommend that product to consumers who are already healthy.

Naked Juice drinks are composed mostly of fruits and vegetables, but most of their products also contain additive ingredients like natural flavor or added vitamins that we recommend avoiding. Most Naked Juice drinks contain a significant amount of sugar, upwards of 50 g per bottle in some cases.

High sugar content from fruit juices shouldn’t be a problem for healthy consumers, but it may be an issue for diabetic consumers or those with metabolic syndrome.

Whole fruit consumption appears to be healthier than fruit juice consumption based on medical research, but fruit juice consumption does have proven health benefits.

We would recommend several Ocean Spray 100% Juice drinks for consumers who don’t eat whole fruit and are set on fruit juice. Several of their products contain only fruit juice with no questionable additives, and these products are much lower in sugar than most Naked Juice drinks.




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