1. How does fruit juice compare to whole
fruit?
You'll notice that on our website we've listed all of World's Healthiest Fruits in
whole food form, and that no fruit juices are specifically mentioned as the
preferred form for your Healthier Way of Eating. The reason for this emphasis
on whole fruits versus fruit juices is simple: regardless of the fruit and
regardless of the method used for juicing, the most diverse and intact collection
of nutrients comes to you through the whole fruit!
What's missing in fruit juice.
Whole fruit provides you with a whole lot more nutrition that fruit juice.
Focusing upon two components of fruit - the skin and the pulp - will help to
clarify why there is such a difference between the two.
The benefits of fruit skins
The edible skins of many of the World's Healthiest Fruits - including apples,
apricots, blueberries, figs, grapes, pears, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries,
and strawberries - are all sites of important biological activity in the life of the
fruit. The skin is one of the places where the fruit interacts with sunlight, and
forms a variety of colored pigments that absorb different wavelengths of light.
These pigments, including carotenoids and flavonoids, are well researched as
nutrients that protect our health and nourishment. The skins of whole fruits like
grapes have actually been studied for their ability to help lower risk of cancer
and help provide protection from ultraviolet light.
Unfortunately, when fruits are juiced, we don't always get to enjoy the fruit's
skin. That is because many juicing processes remove the skin, and do not allow
for its full benefits to get into the juice.
The benefits of the fruit pulp
In addition to the skin, which is an important source of fiber in most fruits, the
pulpy part of the fruit is also a source of fiber (and other nutrients). Orange
juice makes a good example of the health difference when you focus on the
issue of its pulp. The white pulpy part of the orange is the primary source of its
flavonoids. The juicy orange-colored sections of the orange contain most of its
vitamin C. In the body, flavonoids and vitamin C often work together, and
support health through their interaction. When the pulpy white part of the
orange is removed in the processing of orange juice, the flavonoids in the
orange are lost in the process. This loss of flavonoids is one of the many
reasons for eating the orange in its whole food form (even if you only end up

2. eating a little bit of the white pulpy part). Although many commercial products
will say "pulp added" on their labels, the "pulp added" many not even be the
original pulp found in the whole fruit, and it is highly unlikely to be added back
in the amount removed.
Juicing reduces the fiber content
How much fiber is lost in the conversion from whole fruit to fruit juice? Let's use
apples and apple juice as an example.
A cup of apple juice that you can see straight through (pulp removed) contains
no measurable amount of fiber. To create this 8-ounce glass of juice,
approximately 3-4 apples are needed (depending, of course, on the size and
density of the apples). Each of these 3-4 apples contains about 3.75 grams of
dietary fiber, for a total of about 12-15 grams of dietary fiber. Virtually all of
these 12-15 grams are lost in the production of clear apple juice! These 12-15
grams of lost fiber, if added back into the juice, would fully double our average
daily fiber intake!
Is fruit juice unhealthy?
The answer to this question depends on how it's consumed, and what foods it
replaces. Fruit juice that has been robbed of its fiber and broad range of
nutrients is basically just a concentrated source of sugar that lacks the
supportive nutrients to help it digest and metabolize. Fruit juice elevates blood
sugar more quickly than whole fruit, and the level of sugar that can be obtained
from fruit juice is higher than the level found in whole fruit. For example, 120
calories' worth of whole apples contains about 24 grams of sugar, while 120
calories' worth of apple juice contains about 30 grams.
Additionally, many fruit juices that are sold in supermarkets contain only a small
percentage of real fruit juice, and contain added sweeteners (sucrose or high
fructose corn syrup). As a result, it is easy to consume a large amount of
calories without getting any actual nutrition when you consume these
beverages. Make sure you read fruit juice labels carefully! Turn over on the
back of the jar or bottle, and look over the ingredient list - you may be
surprised to see exactly where the fruit itself fits in!
Practical tips
If fruit juice is the only "convenience" choice for replacing a canned soda pop,
we're all in favor of fruit juice versus soda pop. If fruits are juiced together with
vegetables, the pulp is retained, and juicing allows a person to increase his or
her intake of vegetables substantially, then we also would support this step
(especially if you use a home juicer that allowed close to 100% retention of the

3. pulp and skin.) However, in most cases, the switch from whole fruit to fruit juice
can only be made at the expense of full nourishment and health.
References
Birt, D. F.; Pelling, J. C.; Nair, S., and Lepley, D. Diet intervention for modifying
cancer risk. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1996; 395:223-34.
Boss, P. K.; Davies, C., and Robinson, S. P. Expression of anthocyanin
biosynthesis pathway genes in red and white grapes. Plant Mol Biol. 1996 Nov;
32(3):565-9.
Kootstra, A. Protection from UV-B-induced DNA damage by flavonoids. Plant Mol
Biol. 1994 Oct; 26(2):771-4