- Rudolph Brown/Staff Photographer Low carb diets that demand very little sugar are taking the juice out of citrus companies. Now orange juice producers are fighting back.
TIRED OF losing orange juice drinkers to low-carb diets, some citrus growers locally and in the United States are fighting back.
In the US the Florida Department of Citrus recently changed its marketing strategy to convince consumers that orange juice can be compatible with the Atkins diet as well as the popular weight-loss plan pushed by U.S. television talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw.
In the meantime, Tradewinds Citrus Ltd., local manufacturers of the Tru-Juice brand, is combating the sweet talk about juices by enlisting the aid of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ). Recently the MAJ gave its stamp of approval to Tru-Juice for its no-sugar added products, endorsing the line, known as Tru-Juice NSA, as a nutritionally beneficial component of a daily diet.
"Everybody's taste is different. We are trying to make the public comfortable with our products and loyal to them, so that they don't leave the supermarket without taking a bottle of Tru-Juice," says Tradewinds marketing manager Kim Lee. "But we also want our country to be healthy," hence the no sugar added 100 per cent juices.
The company, located in Bog Walk, St. Catherine, kicked of its NSA line several years ago with orange juice, followed by four others Tropical Fruit Punch, Apple, Cherry Cranberry and Ortanique. The no-sugar added juices are distinguished by the blue seal on the bottles. (Other Tru-Juice products are sweetened with cane sugar and fruit blends).
As for the carbohydrate content, a serving of sugar added juices has between 30 and 40g of carbs. Tru-Juice says its NSA products have between 22g (for the orange and apple) and 27g of carbs.
DRINK NATURALLY
At a time when most beverage manufacturers add more artificial flavours and colouring to their drinks Tradewinds has chosen the opposite path, says Dr. John A. F. Hall, MAJ president.
Dr. Hall notes that before giving its endorsement the MAJ sought assurance from the Bureau of Standards in regards to safety and nutritional content. He pointed to the overwhelming number Juicy stroke protection
Drinking one glass of orange juice a day may lower the risk of stroke by 30 per cent, we hear from Monique Breteler, M.D., and Ph.D., of Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands.
In her recent study of nearly 5,200 individuals, the reduced risk was seen among those who consumed more than 113 mg of vitamin C per pay (versus those who got less than 95mg daily). And hitting the desired vitamin C levels is easy: Get 120 mg from just one cup of orange juice.
- First for Women, Feb. 16, 1994
How much vitamin C
are you getting?
You know how important vitamin C is for protecting you from heart disease and cancer, but does your food supply you with all the vitamin C you need?
An Arizona State University East study found that if you drink orange juice within a week of buying or making it from concentrate, it has all the vitamin C it promises on the label; two to four weeks out, it has much less.
- Prevention magazine, February 2004
Peel oranges without the pith
Pop oranges in the microwave for 30 seconds, cool, and then peel. The heat softens the pith (the fibrous layer between the skin and the fruit) so it tears away easily from the flesh, making peeling a breeze.
- First for Women, Feb. 16, 1994
Which is better, the fruit or the juice?
We've often been told that it's better to eat the orange
than to drink the juice. But that's not the whole truth, says nutritionist Dr. Garth Officer. It is best to eat an orange if
you want plenty of fibre, says Dr. Officer. However, if
vitamin is what you're after, go for the juice.
Here's why: When an orange is cut (to be eaten) the
vitamin C quickly evaporates. "One would have to cut and swallow very fast about nine dozen oranges to get approximately 60 milligrams of vitamin C per day," says Dr. Officer.
Orange juice manufacturers, on the other, usually add
vitamin C to their products, helping to make up what is
lost in cutting.
Still, says Dr. Officer, eating an orange may be better
nutritionally as fibre is necessary to our diet.
