Before you fill up on fruit juices today, you might want to check out exactly what they contain. You may find out your favorite drink (1)……… far more sugar than it does healthy vitamins. It may, in fact, be higher in sugar in sugar than popular carbonated drinks like regular Coke and Pepsi.
Take orange juice, for example . Laboratory tests by Mahidol University on 22 samples of orange juice found many ………… dangerously high levels of sugar, Saree Aongsomwang, manager of the Foundation for Consumers, said yesterday.
The tests revealed some concentrated orange juice and orange-flavoured drinks contained 11 to 15 teaspoons per similar-sized can of carbonated drink.
“These findings should…………. Consumers to think carefully before buying orange juice in future,” Ms. Saree said.
The lab tests also found that the juice contained less vitamin C than claimeb on the label. Some orange-flavoured drinks contained no vitamin C at all.
Ms. Saree said consumers had been ………...into believing orange juice products all have a high vitamin C level, but many contain very few nutrients.
She suggested consumers switch to fresh fruit, such as guava, for vitamin C intake. A 100g serving of fresh guava………….up to 230mg of vitamin C.
Sugar consumption is on the rise in Thailand and the consequences can be serious.
The Department of Medical Services recently …………. that Thais consume excessive amounts of sugar, with an average 20 teaspoons, per person a day. The recommended health standard is no more than 10 teaspoons a day.
An excessive intake of sugar can …………….. to an increased risk of many diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
Unfortunately, Thailand has no regulation to control the amount of sugar in packaged drinks. Producers are only……………..declare the contents on the packaging. That should now be required reading for anyone shopping for groceries.