Orange juice with as much sugar as 13 Hobnobs and Innocent smoothies have the same as three-and-a-half doughnuts

• Single serving of white grape juice contains same sugar as four doughnuts
• One Starbucks coffee has as much sugar as 10 bowls of Golden Grahams
• Lucozade sport drink has same sugar as two Walls Magnum Ice Creams
• Experts warn health drinks are partly to blame for our ballooning waistlines

• No fibre in juices means sugar is absorbed faster leading to liver overload

By Anna Hodgekiss

Published: 10:35, 30 March 2013  |  Updated: 13:14, 1 April 2013

A single serving of so-called healthy fruit juice has been found to contain the same amount of  sugar as three-and-a-half doughnuts or 13 hobnob biscuits.

Exclusive research for Mailonline has revealed that a single 250ml serving of white grape juice contained the same amount of sugar as four Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts.

Until recently, we thought the 'bad' drinks were those such as Coke and Pepsi, while orange juice was an easy way to get one of our 'five a day'.

But the goalposts have shifted. More and more experts are warning that sugary drinks in any form are largely to blame for our ballooning waistlines.

Shouting this message from the rooftops is one leading U.S. expert, Dr Robert Lustig.

In his new book 'Fat Chance: The Bitter Truth About Sugar', he argues that it doesn't matter whether the sugars you drink come from fruit juice, smoothies or fizzy drinks.

He says that liquid fructose sugar is dangerous for our health, irrespective of the source.

These sugars are overloading our livers and leading to health issues such as heart problems, diabetes and obesity, which not only affects our quality of life, but also costs the NHS over £6 billion a year.

But why is orange juice, for example, so bad?

The key issue is a lack of fibre. When we eat fruit, fibre forms a protective layer that acts as a barrier to the intestine.

This slows absorption of sugar, so the liver has a chance to catch up. In fizzy drinks, fruit juices and smoothies, the barrier has gone, which leads to the liver being overloaded.

Also, fruit – which is how many of us get our five a day – is high in fructose, which affects blood sugar levels. Any sugar that the body doesn’t need is converted to fat – and we’re getting bigger.

Here, Dr. Sebastian Winckler, medical director of dred.com - an online healthcare service that provides GP consultations and prescriptions - gives his verdict on the biggest sugar-sinners on the high street, showing their sugar equivalent in food and how to make a healthy swap.

His findings are eye-opening...

 

WORST COFFEE SHOP FRUIT JUICE

PRET FRESHLY SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE (500ml)

229 calories
0.6g fat
51g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT

13 McVities Hobnob biscuits

EXPERT VERDICT:
This drink is almost as sugary pound for pound as Coke, and it contains more calories than a can of Coke!

But because it's juice it's okay, right? Wrong.

Fructose sugar is found in high quantities in fruit juice and excessive consumption is a primary cause of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

It doesn't matter if it's juice or Coke, concentrated liquid sugar is bad - full stop.

Not convinced? Watch the video from sugar expert Dr Robert Lustig on the science behind the body's reaction to a glass of Orange Juice.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE:

Pret’s orange juice is made from 100 per cent freshly squeezed oranges with no added sugar. The sugar is naturally occurring in the fruit.

We give our customers a wide choice of products and we lead the way in food labelling so people can make informed choices about what they eat and drink.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD:

Pret Carrot Juice: 60 calories, 0.3g fat, 5g sugar
 

WORST SQUASH

BLACKCURRANT RIBENA (500ml)

215 calories
0g fat
52.6g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT

13 Oreo Chocolate biscuits

EXPERT VERDICT
Good old Ribena. Made in the UK with real blackcurrants. Healthy? No. Drinking this 500ml bottle of Ribena gives you 60 per cent of your daily amount of sugar in one hit.

As sugary as a can of Coke, and with almost 100 more calories to boot, you'd do yourself a favour by choosing a less sugary option.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: 
Ribena offers people a choice of products including no added sugar options.

We are continuing to develop healthier formulations of our Ribena ready to drink products, by reducing the sugars and calorie content.  

We have signed up as a partner to the government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal to demonstrate our commitment to encouraging people to eat and drink fewer calories.
 
DRINK THIS INSTEAD: No Added Sugar Ribena: 11 calories, 0g fat, 1.3g sugar

 

WORST SMOOTHIE

INNOCENT POMEGRANATES, BLUEBERRIES & ACAI SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIE (250ml)

171 calories
0.5g fat
34.3g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
3.5 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts

EXPERT VERDICT
This (not so) Innocent smoothie has almost 30 per cent more sugar per 100ml than Coca-Cola, and is the most sugar-rich smoothie on the market.

Don't be fooled by the two portions of your five a day. The high fructose sugar content piles the pressure on your liver, and the fact that it's a smoothie makes virtually no difference.

The fibre has been so heavily pulped during the manufacturing process that the full sugar load of this smoothie is still rapidly absorbed by the body.

Recent recommendations Dr Lustig have suggested that we need to get our sugar intake down to six teaspoons for women and nine teaspoons for men.

On that basis, this drink would deliver 100 per cent of your RDA. Not good.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE:
Innocent smoothies are made from nothing but pure, crushed fruit and juice, with absolutely no sugar added. Our smoothies contain all the good stuff that fruit does (like fibre and vitamin C). 

As a standard 250ml serving of one of our smoothies contains two portions of fruit, (i.e. two of your 5-a-day), the sugars found in it are the same as the amount found in two portions of fruit (a banana and another portion of fruit).

EAT THIS INSTEAD: An Apple: 95 calories, 0g fat, 19g sugar

 

WORST FIZZY DRINK

BURGER KING SUPER SIZE COKE 

315 calories
0g fat
79.5g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
9 Penguin Milk Chocolate Wafer Bars

EXPERT VERDICT

Not all Coca Cola is created equal. This abomination from Burger King contains 50 per cent more sugar per 100ml than the same size drink from Coca Cola.

Why? It's all in the process. This is draught Coke, made by mixing soda water with concentrated sugar syrup, which somehow manages to be even more sugary than the original!

The jury's still out on whether diet drinks are an acceptable alternative, but in the meantime, if you have to have fizzy drinks, stick with diet.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: Burger King had not responded to MailOnline's enquiry before publication.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD:
Burger King Super Size Diet Coke: 1.9 calories, 0g fat, 0g sugar

 

WORST COFFEE 

STARBUCKS VENTI WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA WITH WHIPPED CREAM

613 calories
74g sugar
25.8g fat

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
10 bowls of Nestle Golden Grahams

EXPERT VERDICT:
The name says it all really. This Starbucks coffee manages to pack in 74g of sugar, 613 calories and 26g of fat (a third of a woman's recommended daily intake and a quarter of a man's).

Let's take a moment to absorb that...That's a coffee with more fat than a Big Mac and more sugar than 2 cans of Coke.

To work off these calories you'll need to  spend an hour and a half in the gym  on the bike, and you'd still have 50 more calories to work off!

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE:  We provide calories on our menu boards and nutritional information is available on our website to help customers make the choices that are right for them.

Lower fat milk and sugar-free syrups can ensure our customers get healthier versions of the same great flavours they enjoy. 

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Filter Coffee: 5 calories, 0.1g fat, 0g sugar
 

WORST KIDS DRINK 

STARBURST STRAWBERRY FLAVOUR MILK (400ml)

288 calories
6.4g fat
42g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
11 McVities HobNob Biscuits

EXPERT VERDICT
Don't let the fact that this is a milk drink fool you into thinking this drink is healthy. This oversized beverage has double the sugar content of semi skimmed milk as well as a host of E number additives.

At 10.5g of sugar per 100ml, this drink is as sugary as Coke, and for a supposedly 'school friendly' healthy kids drink, that's bordering on criminal.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: 'Our drinks are designed as a treat to be enjoyed as part of a healthy balanced lifestyle. Milk based drinks contain lactose which is a sugar naturally present in milk, and all our products have clear nutritional labelling to enable our consumers to make informed choices.”

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Semi Skimmed Milk (250ml): 123 calories, 4g fat, 12.5g sugar
 

 

WORST MILKSHAKE

BURGER KING LARGE CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE

612 calories
12g fat
102.4g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
Tesco Finest Strawberries And Cream Tart (serves 4 people)

EXPERT VERDICT
This is officially the highest sugar content drink in the UK, and the only drink to break the 100g sugar barrier to boot.

To put 100g of sugar in perspective, that's over 20 teaspoons worth. Can you ever imagine adding that to your morning coffee?

The drink also packs a hefty calorie punch, coming in at 612 calories; the equivalent of 2 extra cheeseburgers with your meal.

To burn off the calories in this behemoth, you'd have to swim (front crawl) for over an hour!

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: Burger King had not responded to MailOnline's enquiry before publication.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Tesco Free From Chocolate Coconut Milk: 125 calories, 5g fat, 17g sugar

 

 

WORST WATER

THIS WATER PURE SQUEEZED LEMON & LIMES (250ml)

96 calories
0g fat
21.3g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
2 Kellogg's Chewy Marshmallow Rice Krispies Bars

EXPERT VERDICT
Imagine taking a glass of water, pouring in four teaspoons of sugar, and still calling it water...doesn't make sense right?

It takes the biscuit that this water is advertised as water, but only has 20 per cent less sugar than a full fat Coke.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: This Water drinks are made from pure squeezed juices from real fruits and spring water, and sugar.

The sugars found in our drinks are made up of the sugars in fruit juice and sucrose which is needed to ensure that our drinks taste great (without it they would taste too sharp).

Unlike other flavoured water brands, our drinks will never contain concentrates, colourings or preservatives. The nutritional information is clearly stated on all our drinks labels.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Water: 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g sugar
 

WORST ENERGY DRINK

ROCKSTAR PUNCHED ENERGY & GUAVA (500ml)

335 calories
0g fat
78g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
20 Maryland Chocolate Chip Cookies

EXPERT VERDICT

This fruit flavoured energy drink has 40% more sugar per 100ml than Red Bull, which in turn is sugarier than Coke. Making Coke look like the good guy for once is hard, but Rockstar manages it with ease. That stack of biscuits is just under an entire pack of Maryland cookies.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: There is an important difference between Red Bull and Rockstar Punched Energy + Guava. Rockstar Punched Energy + Guava contains fruit juice. The declared sugar content of this product includes the sugar derived from the fruit juice and is not added sugar only.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Relentless Sugar Free: 15 calories, 0g fat, 0g sugar

 

 

WORST FRUIT JUICE

SUN GROWN PURE WHITE GRAPE JUICE (250ml)

175 calories
0g fat
42g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
4 Original Glazed Krispy Kreme Donuts

EXPERT VERDICT

This fruit juice is one of the most highly concentrated sugar drinks of all the drinks we analysed.

If you're shouting at the screen "But it's a fruit juice", then you've got it all wrong...

It doesn't matter where the sugar comes from.

It matters that these sugars are pounding your liver without the fruit's natural fibres, which usually act as a barrier to stop the bombardment.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: MailOnline could not contact Sun Grown for a response.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Tropicana Trop 50 Low Sugar Orange Juice: 53 calories, 0g fat, 10g sugar
 

 

WORST SPORTS DRINK

LUCOZADE SPORT ELITE ORANGE (500ml)

195 calories
0g fat
40g sugar

 

SUGAR EQUIVALENT

2 Walls Magnum Classic Chocolate Ice Creams

EXPERT VERDICT

We know sports drinks are supposed to contain sugars to replace what is lost through sweat.

But this Lucozade Sports Elite prides itself on containing '40 per cent more fuel for Matchday'.

In reality, that means more sugar, nearly 10 teaspoons of the stuff to be precise.

Drink this 500ml bottle will give you a bigger sugar hit than swilling down a can of Coke.

And don't be fooled by the research and the elite athlete sponsorship, the most recent research on the efficacy of sports drinks (by the BMJ) shows their benefits to be patchy at best.

As a rule of thumb, unless you're doing high intensity sport for more than an hour, water is the best thing for you.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: Lucozade Sport Elite is specifically designed to meet the needs of serious sports people who require more fuel to meet their training or competition requirements.

Lucozade Sport Elite is a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink and is not the same as other carbonated soft drinks.

You need carbohydrates, electrolytes and hydration for prolonged/endurance sport and exercise and Lucozade Sport Elite helps provide these.
 
DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Lucozade Sport Lite: 50 calories, 0g fat, 5g sugar

 

WORST ICED FRUIT DRINK

COSTA MASSIMO RED BERRY COOLER

409 calories
0.6g fat
97.1g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT

16 Nature Valley Oats & Honey Granola Bars

EXPERT VERDICT
See those 16 Nature Valley breakfast bars? That's how much sugar is in this supposedly healthy looking fruit drink.

Slurp this drink down for breakfast on your way to work and you'll have consumed 108 per cent of your RDA of sugar.

That's one hell of a hit on your liver, and if you're a regular consumer of this kind of drink, whether you're thin or fat this could be causing you all sorts of health difficulties.

Just because it's got fruit in the name, people like you and me think it's healthy, but the reality is this has almost as much sugar as three cans of Coke.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: Costa takes the nutritional balance of all its food and drink very seriously.

We have increased the quality of information available in store and online via our Costa nutritional tool (http://www.costanutrition.co.uk/) and have carried out a lot of work, particularly in the Iced drink range to reduce calorie content with the intention to continuing to find ways to reduce fat, calories and sugar levels throughout our product offerings.

Last year we introduced our iced-lemonades to the range, with the primo size containing less than 100 calories. Our Skinny Iced Cappuccino has fewer than 50Kcals.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Starbucks Mango & Passion Fruit Frappucino: 157 calories, 0.1g fat, 37g sugar
 

WORST ICED COFFEE

EAT LARGE MOCHA CHILLER 

580 calories
19.1g fat
90.5g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
8 Twix Caramel Slices

EXPERT VERDICT
Another coffee on the list, this time from EAT, that should come with a health warning every time it's ordered.

This behemoth contains 90g of sugar, that's 21 teaspoons of the white stuff, alongside 580 calories, the equivalent of a McDonalds Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and then some!

To get the same sugar hit from Coca Cola you'd have to drink two and half cans of the Brown Doctor. Madness!

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: EAT had not responded to MailOnline's enquiry before publication.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Starbucks Iced Coffee Latte: 53 calories, 0.1g fat, 7.5g sugar
 

 

 

WORST SPORTS RECOVERY (PROTEIN) DRINK

FOR GOODNESS SHAKES MILK CHOCOLATE SPORTS RECOVERY DRINK (475ml)

315 calories
5.4g fat
50.3g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
15 Tesco Ginger Nut Biscuits

 

EXPERT VERDICT
What could be better than a post recovery protein drink? Quite a few things, actually!

Sugar wise, this drink is only a fraction less sugary than Coke, but coming in such a large size, it manages to give you over 50g of sugar, more than half an adult's daily amount in one hit.

This sports drink also has more calories than a Mars Bar.

On top of that, according to Goodness Shakes, if you have a particularly hard training session, you should drink two of them!

Unless you're training seriously hard, we'd recommend you stick with milk or water.

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE: For Goodness Shakes had not responded to MailOnline's enquiry before publication.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Semi Skimmed Milk (250ml): 123 calories; 4g fat; 12.5g sugar

 

 

 

WORST HOT CHOCOLATE

STARBUCKS VENTI SOY VANILLA SPICE HOT CHOCOLATE 

540 calories
7g fat
80g sugar

SUGAR EQUIVALENT
5 Kellogg's Strawberry Pop Tarts

EXPERT VERDICT 

You know when you're ordering a large hot chocolate that it's an indulgence, but is it really fair of Starbucks to take it this far?

Guzzling down the 80g of sugar in this drink is equivalent to munching that stack of Strawberry Pop Tarts, generally considered to be one of the unhealthiest breakfasts ever produced.

Drinking this sugary monstrosity jacks your blood sugar up and results in strain on your liver and kidneys, the creation of new fat molecules and perhaps worst of all, the sugar lull after the initial hit makes you want to eat more!

MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE:. We provide calories on our menu boards and nutritional information is available on our website to help customers make the choices that are right for them.

Lower fat milk and sugar-free syrups can ensure our customers get healthier versions of the same great flavours they enjoy.

DRINK THIS INSTEAD: Starbucks Classic Hot Chocolate: 155 calories, 6.4g fat, 17.2g sugar

For more information on Dr Ed, visit: https://www.dred.com/uk/

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2301135/15-WORST-health-drinks-Orange-juice-Innocent-smoothies-sugar-13-Hobnobs-3-half-doughnuts.html#ixzz3641YW84c
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