1. Fruit Juice

Despite what many folks believe, fat in your diet isn’t the main thing making your waist bigger. In fact, hidden sugar may be behind it! Drinking fruit juice, as well as other ways of consuming too much sugar, is dangerous for your body and can damage your metabolism in several ways, including inflammation, cravings, and sluggishness.

The worst part is that most juices found in supermarkets don’t offer significant amounts of minerals and vitamins despite their high-calorie counts. The same goes for processed sugary foods as well.

From this point of view, fruit juices (including orange, apple, and grape juices) are basically chemically laden sugar beverages. Something like apple juice may sound healthy, but here’s how an apple gets turned into juice:

• First, the apple is pressed to eliminate all of its filling fiber. Then, it is pasteurized at 280 degrees.
• Next, it’s dried and made into a concentrate used to produce higher outputs at lower costs.
• Finally, manufacturers add extra sugar, usually along with flavorings and food coloring. The finished product is the apple juice you buy from the supermarket for you and your family.

Here’s another fact related to juice’s sugar content that you may not be aware of: fruit juices can have up to 30 grams of sugar per eight-ounce serving, while a soda usually has around 28 grams of sugar. That’s a high amount of sugar that can definitely wreck your metabolism!

Juice isn’t the only thing you should skip if you want to limit your added sugar intake. Other sources of hidden sugar include:

• energy drinks
• cereal
• alcoholic beverages or mixes
• granola snack bars
• flavored dairy products
• ketchup or sauces
• bottled caffeinated or coffee drinks

Here are different names for sugar: juice concentrate, brown sugar, dextrose, fructose, corn syrup, and raw sugar. Check ingredient labels carefully and avoid those foods and drinks that have sugar listed in the first 5 ingredients.

What to do instead: Go instead for healthier alternatives such as homemade lemonade or tea sweetened with stevia.