Fruit Juice vs. Fruit Smoothies
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Eating your daily servings of fruit is a vital part of following a Mediterranean-style diet pattern, but in what format you consume it can vary.
How to Prepare Your Fruit
- Fresh
- Frozen (not sweetened)
- Canned (in its own juice)
- In a smoothie
- Fruit juice
Fruit Smoothies vs. Fruit Juice
When it comes to smoothies, we’re eating the whole fruit. This means we’re not sacrificing any important nutrients, such as fiber. But, for fruit juice, whether it’s juiced at home or bought in the store, the fiber has been removed in the process. Fiber plays a key role in helping to manage satisfaction and blood sugar response, which is important when it comes to managing metabolic liver disease.
Tips for Eating Fruit
- Choose smoothies that include whole fruit vs. juice, which has been stripped of fiber
- When buying canned fruit, choose fruit packed in its natural juices vs. packed in syrup
- For frozen fruit, ensure it’s just the fruit frozen and that no additional sugar is added
- Pick fresh fruit that’s in season