Juice – the elixir for a healthy living

A professional article by Dr. Volker Herdegen, Manager Research & Innovation Eckes-Granini, and Kiran Jainani, Group Innovation Manager.

There is an old saying that states that ‘you are what you eat’ hence, it is not surprising that ‘what we consume’ plays the central role in achieving our health and wellness goals. Given that the world’s population is aging leading to increasing challenges in healthcare, preventive nutrition is becoming a focus in everyone’s lives.

The authors: Dr. Volker Herdegen, Manager Research & Innovation of the Eckes-Granini Group, and Kiran Jainani, Group Innovation Manager.

People are looking at nutrition to achieve their optimum quality of life rather than paying attention to it once someone has acquired a disease. The increasing consumer pressure to incorporate well-being in every aspect of their lives is making companies revisit solutions they offer to support wellness-forward decisions. The younger generation is driving the ‘holistic wellness’ wave which has led to increased spending on something that was once considered to be a luxury is now an everyday consideration.

Proven products for new trend
Hence, it is not surprising that companies are now focusing on providing a full range of mental, physical and emotional health offerings and aim to build communities inspired by wellness through various platforms. Our food choices continue to evolve, and this is the result of changing our definition of health and well-being; there are still a few products that have found a constant space on our plates and in our lives.

While consumers often look at new and upcoming trends, some look more than often at our past and old habits that are known to improve our lives. One such product that we sometimes forget to recognize is ‘juice’. Juices have been part of our lives for centuries and have been consumed for generations. Juices are special as they help us to include the neglected group of ‘fruits’ in our daily lives.

Agent orange juice
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), low fruit and vegetable intake is one of the top 10 selected risk factors for global mortality. This shows how we essentially neglect fruit in our lives, and juices can help to bridge this gap. Juice helps to provide many vital and health-promoting ingredients such as vitamins and minerals that are needed for our daily lives and have the potential to act as an excellent carrier for enhancing our mental and physical well-being.

Let’s consider a simple glass of orange juice. Did you know that just a single glass of orange juice can provide many essential nutrients? Orange juice is rich in vitamin C, which contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system. The health of the immune system has become increasingly important lately, especially when we want to strengthen our immune system to prevent new unknown viruses or other microbes from entering our bodies. Furthermore, orange juice is a valuable source of folic acid, carotenoids, and beneficial antioxidants. We get all this from just one glass of orange juice, which we have been drinking as part of our daily breakfast routine for years.

A drop of health
There also exists a huge body of evidence to assess the beneficial changes that 100% fruit juices have on vascular health and reducing inflammation. Increased antioxidant activity is also positively associated with the consumption of 100% fruit juice. It is known that the consumption of 100% juice delivers a combination of beneficial effects, including a reduction in blood pressure, improved insulin resistance and increased anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity – all of which is known to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and hence the disease of today's lifestyle diseases. Ongoing research suggests that some of the nutrients of fruits and fruit juices such as potassium, folate, carotenoids, and polyphenols act synergistically to provide disease-related protection.

All these and many more benefits can be achieved by consuming just one glass of fruit juice traditionally consumed for ages. Hence, it is important when considering health, not to forget the importance of the food we find in our kitchens. This is particularly important in today's world, where food is aimed at prevention but is also becoming a statement of the values that people stand for. For example, while following the recent trends and customizing foods people aim to showcase the values they stand for.

A matter of trust
Consumers also associate brands and choose products that correspond to their ideologies and help represent the ideologies they firmly believe in. This movement by the consumers also gave an additional trust for brands to embrace the ideals they stand for and most of the firms have successfully embraced this movement. The same can be observed for fruit juices, where the companies' main message is to provide a diverse range of options that promote health on the one hand and offer consumers the best of organic and sustainable fruit on the other.

It is well noticed that consumers are increasingly adopting a more holistic view of health, and this is not only reflected in the products they buy, but they also choose to stand by the brands they firmly believe in. One of the key changes in consumer awareness is the recognition that a complete nutrition and exercise program, taken together, can help them achieve their desired performance levels and get closer to their wellness goals, rather than relying on miracle cures. This, in turn, is the main reason why consumers are rethinking their grandmother's recipes and eating habits and trying to adapt them in more convenient formats that can be easily integrated into their everyday lives.

Juice is an excellent example of how you can comfortably consume fruit anytime and anywhere by simply pouring the goodness of fruits into a glass and getting the best health. So next time, you are looking for a ‘drop of good health’, just get a glass of the plain simple orange juice.

This professional article by Dr. Volker Herdegen, Manager Research & Innovation, and Kiran Jainani, Innovation Manager of the Eckes-Granini Group, was published in the "Beverage Essentials Handbook 2020".


References:

  • WHO (URL). Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption around the world. Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.  Available at: www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/fruit/en/index2.html
  • Foroudi, S., Potter, A. S., Stamatikos, A., Patil, B. S., & Deyhim, F. (2014). Drinking orange juice increases total antioxidant status and decreases lipid peroxidation in adults. Journal of medicinal food, 17(5), 612-617.
  • Constans, J., Bennetau-Pelissero, C., Martin, J. F., Rock, E., Mazur, A., Bedel, A., ... & Bérard, A. M. (2015). Marked antioxidant effect of orange juice intake and its phytomicronutrients in a preliminary randomized cross-over trial on mild hypercholesterolemic men. Clinical Nutrition, 34(6), 1093-1100.
  • Silveira, J. Q., Dourado, G. K., & Cesar, T. B. (2015). Red-fleshed sweet orange juice improves the risk factors for metabolic syndrome. International journal of food sciences and nutrition, 66(7), 830-836.
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