How "Real" Is Your Real Fruit Smoothie?

✻ As Nature Intended

Over the years fruit juices have evolved (more like devolved) into absurdly complicated products with long lists of phonetically challenging and equally unnatural additives like genetically modified ingredients, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and sweeteners. But what was wrong with the way nature made fruits to begin with and

where did all the juice go?

While most smoothie mix manufacturers have felt the need to compromise quality to increase convenience and profitability, that’s a compromise we aren’t willing to make. We think fruit is perfectly wonderful on its own. When consumers make healthy choices, we believe they deserve to be provided with healthy options.

✻ Nature’s VS Fakers

✻ GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms)

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.

One of the main problems with genetic engineering is that the process of inserting genes into the DNA of a food plant is random; scientists have no idea where the genes go. This can disrupt the functioning of other genes and create novel proteins that have never been in the food supply and could create toxins and allergens in foods.

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✻ Added Sugars

If you’re like many people, you’re probably eating and drinking more sugar than you realize because it’s added to so many foods and beverages. Added sugars add calories without adding nutrients. “Added sugars” are the sugars and syrups added to foods during processing. Desserts, sodas, and energy and sports drinks are the top sources of added sugars for most Americans, but many other foods contain added sugars.

Eating too many foods with added sugars and solid fats sets the stage for potential health problems, such as poor nutrition, weight gain, increased triglycerides and tooth decay.

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✻ Artificial Colors

Advances in technology have allowed us to control our food supply in more ways than ever. It also allowed us to modify and create new food. There was a time when if you tried a food, and something had a cherry flavor, it most likely was a cherry. A time where salmon wasn’t covered in artificial dyes to make it more appealing to consumers.

While natural colorants made from foods like beets are available, many manufacturers opt for synthetic dyes—which may have dangerous health consequences including allergies, hyperactivity, learning impairment, irritability and aggressiveness, particularly for children, according to a recent report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

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✻ Artificial Flavors

When food is processed, it loses its natural flavor, and when it sits on a store shelf for weeks, natural chemicals in food begin to deteriorate, reducing their shelf life and affecting the way they taste. That’s where the flavor industry comes in. Artificial flavors are additives designed to mimic the taste of natural ingredients. They are a cheap way for manufacturers to make something taste like strawberry, for example, without actually using any real strawberries.

Artificial flavors are known to cause many adverse reactions, including: allergic reactions, chest pain, DNA damage, fatigue, headaches and depression of the nervous system.

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✻ Preservatives

Preservatives are a type of food additive added to food to prolong shelf life and keep the products from being broken down by microorganisms (yummy). Mold, bacteria, and yeast can cause food spoilage and are found practically everywhere (including the air we breathe).

Despite their important function, preservatives can pose a number of serious health risks. Although there is no definitive research that has established a causal link, there are many studies that suggest apossible relationship between food preservatives and cancer, hyper activity disorders, and reduced heart health. Inaddition, common sense tells us not to ingest anything that’s sole purpose is to kill or retard the growth of livingorganisms however undesirable they may be.