Sugar in Coke vs Juice


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Old 12-03-17, 07:33 PM
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Sugar in Coke vs Juice

I was reading the labels today and notice that there are 39 grams of sugar in a can of Coke. When I looked at the label for Guava juice, there are 33 grams of sugar in the same serving. Orange Juice is about 22 grams.

So is Guava Juice as unhealthy as a can of Coke?
 
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Old 12-03-17, 07:39 PM
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Not quite, but most juices are reconstituted concentrate and like soda they are mostly sugar too... they lack the pulp and fiber of real fruit, so aren't as healthy as eating a piece of fruit.

My mom (worry wart) sent me this link just yesterday... it mentions juices on slide #4 or 5.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slides...hyA8wSUrbFs%3d
 
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Old 12-03-17, 07:54 PM
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It is on slide #9. I do drink lots of milk and water because I weight lift. I am surprised the link said coffee is good because I also drink 2 cups a day. I am a bit worry now because I drink lots of guava juice when I am munching on popcorn while I am programming/working. If it has as much sugar as Coke, then hmmm...

Powerade has only 14 grams while Gatorade has about 22 grams.

Thanks XSleeper.
 
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Old 12-03-17, 08:38 PM
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It depends on the actual brand. There's guava juice, guava necter, guava (in very tiny letters underneath) flavored. If it says "No added sugar" then it is likely just natural sugars from the fruit, which somehow are a bit better than added refined sugar I guess? Fructose vs sucrose? Affects insulin production somehow?

I dunno what Powerade yer buying, but mine says 21 grams per serving which is only 12oz, though its in a 32oz bottle. Most of it is from high fructose corn syrup which some would lead you to believe will lead to the downfall of mankind.

Want to try something fun? Find a pack of Koolaid (original stuff, not with sugar in it) in a flavor you might like. Add a bit less water than called for and only 1/2 (or less) the sugar. Take a multivitamin with minerals (or just a multi-mineral supplement, whatever you prefer) and grind it up in a mortar and pestle (you do have one of those don't you?) and mix it in. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of lime juice to taste. Mix well and pour into 2 32 oz containers.

You just created 2 bottles of sports drink substitute, with less sugar and more vitamins and minerals than off the shelf stuff for about 25-35 cents each or less. Main cost is probably the multi vitamin. KA is about 25 cents a pack and the sugar can't be more than about 10. You can play around, try lemon instead of line, a bit less sugar or a bit more, any of the numerous Koolaid flavors (you can even mix them, but you'll have to have 4 bottles).

The worst thing is, KA (which is designed for kids, right?) instructions call for a full cup of sugar for 1/2 gallon. That's just insane to give to kids! May as well feed them strong hummingbird necter.

I go by the "All things in moderation" mantra. Seems to work quite well IMO. I eat steak, hamburgers, shrimp, salmon, pork ribs, pork loin, chicken, mac n cheese, cole slaw, spinach, bread, grains, cereals, beans, corn, etc, etc and my weight is stable and healthy, my bp is just perfect, my blood tests show I'm healthier than my doc, I sleep well, etc, etc, etc. Main things are no drinking (for me) and I cut my smoking by a factor of 10.

If I had just kept my thumb out of the table saw I'd be doing great.
 

Last edited by Gunguy45; 12-03-17 at 10:10 PM.
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Old 12-03-17, 08:41 PM
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Tropical punch kool-aid made with about 1/2 cup of honey (dextrose) instead of 1 cup of sugar used to be my favorite as a kid.

(Dad was a hobby beekeeper) so we had buckets of it.

May as well feed them strong hummingbird necter.
ROTFL!!!
 
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Old 12-03-17, 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Vic
Want to try something fun? Find a pack of Koolaid (original stuff, not with sugar in it) in a flavor you might like. Add a bit less water than called for and only 1/2 (or less) the sugar. Take a multivitamin with minerals (or just a multi-mineral supplement, whatever you prefer) and grind it up in a mortar and pestle (you do have one of those don't you?) and mix it in. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of lime juice to taste. Mix well and pour into 2 32 oz containers.
I did not know what the heck is a mortar and pestle until I googled it. I have something even better, a medicine crusher. Powerade and Gatorade have electrolytes whatever that means. I will try your recipe but I do know one thing, Powerade works for energy. I don't drink energy drinks, only sport drinks. I know lots of people who ended up in hospitals for drinking too much of energy drinks.

I also live a clean life style.

I don't:
smoke (only once in my life)
drugs (never)
drinking (once a year)

But it would be ironic if I get taken out by sugar. I have several friends who passed away recently, in their 40's and that could be hereditary..

I eat everything like you have mentioned.

Thanks Vic
 
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Old 12-03-17, 10:40 PM
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Electrolytes are just the minerals (potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, etc) in solution that promote the transfer of energy to the cells. If they're off, your muscles will weaken faster or you can get cramps.

The reason you get a boost from Powerade (vs the buzz from "energy drinks") is the sugar...that's basically quick energy, but the dropoff can be bad. That's why long distance runners often "carb load" the night before a race...it's converted to sugar more slowly and if not "burned off" it turns to fat, as well as messing with your blood sugar levels and insulin production.

Energy drinks normally have caffeine or guarana or both. You know how caffeine can give you a little buzz and boost...but too much can make you kinda jittery? Well, guarana has more caffeine than a typical coffee (not that sludge they try and pass off at so many places and call designer coffee) but it is absorbed slower, lasts longer and with all the other things in it it's a more focused buzz than just coffee. Also suppresses appetite and thirst which is not a good thing for workouts or running.

I'm no expert or runner or tri-athelete, but she was, and now she's eating healthier because after she stopped that, she found out she was pre-diabetic and no way was she going down that road. Plenty of pounds later, she feels better, eats better, walks an average of 7 miles a day and her blood sugar is just fine.

Hey, you know they have a caffeine gum(!) out now? Yecccchhh!
 
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Old 12-03-17, 11:52 PM
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Thanks for the info and thanks for sharing Vic.
 
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Old 12-04-17, 06:52 AM
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It's my understanding that the refined sugars & high fructose corn syrup in sodas, candy, sweet cereals, etc release their sugars far faster than fructose and natural sugars like in honey and agave nectar. This causes your blood sugar to spike high & fast, to which the body responds by dumping a huge load of insulin to compensate. This leads to the crash in energy. It's damaging to the endocrine system to constantly have these huge peaks & valleys.
 
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Old 12-04-17, 12:18 PM
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You got it. I verified with my "expert" last night and thats what she said as well. Though for some reason honey isn't all that great either I guess?
 
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Old 12-04-17, 12:29 PM
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I don't know about that. I know vegan chefs on TV use honey all the time, so it can't be that bad for you.

As for the juice thing, you need to look for "not made from concentrate" juices. The concentrate ones are just as bad as soda.
They added a "soda tax" in Philly a while back, and the tax is included on made from concentrate juices, even tho it says no sugar added or 100% juice,.
 
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Old 12-04-17, 05:02 PM
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I've come to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter as in the long run we will ALL die.

One "expert" states that sugar is bad, another states it is an essential nutrient. One "study points out that sodium (salt) is bad, a few years later a new study states that the old study was flawed.

I'm with Vic, moderation, in all things, is the best course.
 
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Old 12-04-17, 05:10 PM
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"Too much of a good thing" is age-old wisdom. Proverbs 23:20, 25:16, 27.
 
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Old 12-04-17, 11:47 PM
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I didn't mean honey was necessarily bad for you (unless you have some sort of medical condition) just that it's not as healthy (sugar wise) as eating a piece of fruit. Heck, I never knew until a while ago that actual white sugar is about 50% glucose and 50% fructose after the body breaks down the sucrose with an enzyme. Makes sense since it comes from plants...duh. Honey is about 30% glucose, 40% fructose and the rest are complex sugars which take longer to be broken down.

I guess most of this really only applies to someone who is diabetic or borderline. Everyone else can consume normal quantities as long as they don't binge on it every day. Ever know that person who always seemed to have or want a candy bar in their hand? I know I have.
 
 

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