Is Fruit Juice Healthy?

The answer is, it depends!

Are you choosing fruit juice instead of a soda?  Then the answer is YES.

Are you consuming more than 8 ounces of fruit juice per day?  Then the answer is NO.

Don't confuse the health benefits of fruit juice with that of a whole fruit.  For example, 1 cup of apple juice = 120 calories, 0.2 grams fiber, 27 grams sugar, and a good dose of Vitamin C and potassium.  The whole apple, on the other hand, contains 95 calories, 4 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and a wider variety of nutrients.  The peel also contains a much higher concentration of phytochemicals (bioactive compounds in foods that may reduce risk of chronic disease).

What About Smoothies?

The term "smoothie" has become synonymous with "health", but many commercially made smoothies are full of sugar.  Take for example the Odwalla Citrus C Monster Smoothie.  The only actual whole fruit in it is half a peach and the rest of the "fruit" comes from fruit juice.  It has 52 grams of sugar!  Granted, this is not added sugar, but these are extra calories our bodies don't need.

What to do?

• Choose whole fruit over fruit juices
• Limit fruit juices to less than 8 ounces per day
• Make your own low-sugar smoothies at home

Easy Weekday Cooking

I was inspired by an article in Bon Appetit which described cooking with a "mis en place" style.  It involves prepping on Sunday with sauces/condiments/vegetables that can get you through the week.  There is nothing novel here in the approach of readying large batches of food, but the idea of a weekly sauce is new.  I started with the Miso-Tumeric Dressing and Nori Mayonaise.  With rice, a protein, and sautéed vegetables, it was a delicious and easy meal that we enjoyed for dinner and then again for 2 lunches.  The Nori mayo, however, will not be made again in our house...way too strong and it looked very unappetizing by day 2. 

Next up for this coming week: Momofuku's Ginger Scallion Sauce 

Shaved Fennel Salad

In honor of the warmer weather, here is a delicious salad that is naturally low in FODMAPs.  The best part about it is that it keeps until the next day, particularly if you only add the arugula in as needed.  Omit the honey and be sure to keep the pine nuts to less than 2 tablespoons per serving.

101 Cookbooks - Shaved Fennel Salad

Gluten Intolerance or sensitivity to FODMAPs?

Many people report feeling better when they eliminate gluten from their diet.  Yet, most researchers believe that a very small percentage of the population are actually "non-celiac gluten sensitive".   A FODMAP called fructan may be the real culprit.

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