Food and habits
Is Fruit Juice a Sugary Drink? Juice, Smoothies, Whole Fruit
By Midline. Last reviewed .
The question
Does fruit juice count as a sugary drink?
Short answer
Cut soda and sugary drinks first, and count juice and smoothies as sugary drinks. Eat fruit whole. Robert Lustig says juice is not healthy, while whole fruit is, because the fiber in fruit slows the sugar down.
Midline cannot measure visceral fat and is not medical advice. Check with a doctor before making medical decisions.
Why does juice count as a sugary drink?
Robert Lustig says juice is not healthy, while whole fruit is, because its fiber slows the sugar down.
Jessie Inchauspé says juicing removes the fiber and leaves the sugar.
Robert Lustig says fruit fiber slows sugar and protects the liver, while juice and smoothies rush the sugar to the liver.
What about smoothies?
Robert Lustig says blending fruit into a smoothie breaks up its fiber.
If you want something sweet, Jessie Inchauspé says to have the sugar you like best as dessert, and she counts a fruit smoothie as dessert too.
Is whole fruit fine?
Jessie Inchauspé says a piece of fruit is fine because it has fiber.
The advice is to eat fruit whole, not to cut it out.
Who should ask a doctor first?
If you take insulin or another diabetes medicine, are pregnant, or have had an eating disorder, don't set food rules without your doctor.
Where does Midline fit?
Midline's second level has a habit for it: skip soda and sugary drinks. It sits on your daily schedule with a tick.
The other habits experts describe are on the visceral fat guide. For dessert, see eat vegetables first.
Frequently asked questions
Is fruit juice healthy?
Robert Lustig says juice is not healthy, while whole fruit is, because the fiber in fruit slows the sugar down.
Do smoothies count as sugary drinks?
Cut soda and sugary drinks first, and count juice and smoothies as sugary drinks. Eat fruit whole. Robert Lustig says blending fruit into a smoothie breaks up its fiber.
Is whole fruit okay?
Jessie Inchauspé says a piece of fruit is fine because it has fiber.
When is the best time to have something sweet?
Have sweet foods as dessert, at the end of a meal.
Keep reading
More answers
Sources
- David Unwin on The Diary Of A CEO. David Unwin, The Diary Of A CEOTaking in more sugar than he needed gave him a belly and a liver filling with fat.
- Jessie Inchauspé on The Diary Of A CEO. Jessie Inchauspé, The Diary Of A CEOA piece of fruit is fine because it has fiber. Juicing removes the fiber and leaves the sugar.
- Layne Norton on The Diary Of A CEO. Layne Norton, The Diary Of A CEOSwapping regular soda for diet soda led to weight loss in trials. He sees diet soda as a better choice than sugary soda.
- Robert Lustig on The Diary Of A CEO. Robert Lustig, The Diary Of A CEOJuice is not healthy; whole fruit is, because its fiber slows the sugar down. Blending fruit into a smoothie shreds that fiber.
All sources across the site are listed on the sources page.
Last reviewed . Educational only, not medical advice. Check with your pharmacist if you take medication.
We draft articles with AI help. A reviewer checks every health statement against the expert's own words in the video before it goes up.