Ministry of Health healthy eating guidelines used to say juice could count as one serving. If you ate an apple and a carrot, you’d get nearly five grams of fibre and less sugar. However, that glass also packs more than five teaspoons of sugar and only 0.5g of fibre. V8 Tropical claims to deliver one serve of fruit and one serve of vege in a 250ml glass. We think herbal extracts are a characterising ingredient in Aotea tonics, so amounts should be listed on the label.
The Food Standards Code requires levels of nutrients to be specified when claims are made about them and the percentage of “characterising” ingredients in a product to be stated. The same goes for Aotea’s Antioxidant tonic – it highlights the drink’s “super-high” omega-3 content, but doesn’t tell you how much you’re getting. However, there’s no mention of how much of these ingredients you’re getting. The drink includes extracts of ginger, turmeric, olive leaf and echinacea. But, as well as fruit juice concentrate, it contains three added sweeteners.Īotea’s Immunity Tonic also gets on the wellness tonic bandwagon. No Ugly has less total sugar than the other drinks we looked at – partly because its main ingredient is water. The claims are related to its vitamin and mineral content, rather than the enzogenol. Its website also brags the drink can reduce tiredness or fatigue, and give improved neurological function and mental performance. It didn’t have evidence to support the claim and had changed its labelling to “one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants”. When we asked the company for proof to back this claim, it said the bottle we bought had old labels. The No Ugly Ginger bottle claims the drink is “crammed with scientifically proven gorgeousness … stuff like enzogenol which just so happens to be nature’s most powerful antioxidant”. Whether you’ve indulged in the vino, had an “ugly sleep” or are stressed out, No Ugly Ginger Wellness Tonic boasts it can have you back to your “spunk-bubble self in no time”. “Tonic” drinks are defined as a substance taken to give a feeling of vigour or well-being. The makers of Chia said they call their drink a “superfood” because it’s high in fibre and has more nutrients than other drinks, such as iron, calcium and Omega-3.
“The most important thing is to consume a healthy diet by enjoying a variety of foods and making plain water your drink of choice,” she said. The Simply Squeezed products in our table have more than six teaspoons of sugar per glass from the fruit and vege in the juices.ĭr Rachael McLean, University of Otago public health and epidemiology senior lecturer, said there’s no definition of a superfood – it’s simply used as a marketing tool. However, you and your wallet probably won’t see any “super” benefit by consuming these juices. Simply Squeezed sells a “Super Juice” range, which has ingredients such as echinacea and turmeric – a spice getting plenty of airtime. you and your wallet probably won’t see any “super” benefit byĬhia Natural Energy Orange + Passionfruit claims to be a “natural superfood juice” to help you do more, be smart, have a good gut and stay strong. There are few things food marketers like more than slapping the word “super” on their products. Of the nine juice-based drinks we assessed, five had more than four teaspoons of sugar in a 250ml glass. These drinks aren’t always a healthy choice. Simply Squeezed Juices squeeze in echinacea and turmeric, while Monster Energy Juice packs a caffeine hit equivalent to two cups of coffee.īut don’t be fooled by the marketing and exotic ingredients. For example, No Ugly Ginger Wellness Tonic is “crammed with scientifically proven gorgeousness”. There’s no shortage of juices pumped up with herbs, “superfoods”, or caffeine.