Candy masquerading as health food

 
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The other day while getting my hair cut, I mentioned I was hungry and a little spacey from low blood sugar, and the nice Marin lady in the chair next to me shared a bite to eat.

I’d never heard of Juice Plus before, so I didn’t realize I was about to get a sales pitch. Juice Plus is, according to its website, a plant-based, balanced diet that’s “the next best thing to fruits and vegetables.” It also seems to be part of some multi-level marketing scheme.

I opened the package and ate what tasted like the fruit snacks my mom put in my lunchbox when I was in third grade. I checked out the ingredients on the back, which were, in order:

  1. Tapioca syrup

  2. Maltodextrin

  3. Organice evaporated cane juice

  4. A bunch of other stuff

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As you may know, ingredients are listed on labels in descending order of content by weight. In other words, the first three ingredients are: sugar, sugar, and sugar.

Dear reader, anything that’s made of mostly sugar fits neatly into a food group that we might call “candy.” Seriously, even a Snickers would be preferable — its main ingredients are milk chocolate, peanuts, and corn syrup. At least you get some protein with your sugar and sugar!

I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that someone from the epicenter of anti-vaxxers and unflouridated water would believe that these gummies are nutritious.

Here’s the two-minute video my new salon friend had me watch on her iPhone, in which an obviously well-educated physician tries to convince you that Juice Plus fruit snacks and chocolate shake powder are “whole foods” that contain more servings of fruits and vegetables than you’d ever be able to eat in a day. LOL.

 
NutritionAmanda AngelottiMesplainerPlastic Food