Fruit Blend Diet Drinks

Packed with vitamins, fruit juice drinks are a healthy option when you are craving a sweet alternative to water during a diet. Although fruit juice is a better choice than sodas, take note that many fruit juices still contain a lot of sugar and calories. Freshly squeezed fruit juice is your healthiest option when opting for fruit blend diet drinks, and many diets prescribe a homemade fruit juice smoothie as a breakfast alternative. However, our hurried daily lifestyle makes many of us turn to ready-made fruit juice, in which case it is very important to read the label before buying the juice. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Smoothies

The fruit smoothie is a refreshing beverage that may sound delicious and boast the healthy benefit of fruit, but it can often do your waistline more harm than good due to high calorie and sugar content. With most brands, a 16-ounce fruit smoothie contains on average around 300 calories and 16 teaspoons of added sugar. Avoid consuming all these extra calories by blending your own smoothie at home, using whole fresh fruit (avoid packaged purees), low-fat yogurt, ice and honey. Healthy fruit options are lemons, apples, pineapples, paw-paws, pears, red berries, mangoes and melons. Some diets suggest that it is better not to mix melon juice with other fruit. Watch out for bananas, grapefruit, papaya and oranges, which are high in calories.

Fruit Drinks At Restaurants

When ordering juice at a restaurant, watch out for bottled juices as these may contain additives and preservatives you want to avoid. Order freshly squeezed juice, if possible, or stick to water. Study the menu for any "lite" smoothie options; the sugar and calorie content of these have usually been measured and will indicate a safer option for those on a diet.

Selecting Bottled Fruit Juices

Make the healthier choice when opting for a bottled fruit juice by studying the label before buying the juice. Always select 100 percent fruit juices that have been pasteurized. Do not select juice labeled as "fruit punch," "fruit drink," or "fruit blend" as these usually don't contain a lot of real fruit juice. Choose juice that is free of syrups, sugars, artificial colorants or preservatives. Study the liquid; genuine fruit juice will not be as clear as a concentrated fruit juice.