"juices" news and stories

Açaí (pronounced along the lines of ah-sigh-ee) is just about the ultimate superfood, as the South American berry has a higher concentration of anti-aging antioxidants than any other food out there, is high in fiber and has an "almost perfect essential amino acid complex" that will aid in muscle function. Up until recently it was virtually unknown in commercial foods, but its extraordinarily fast rise to popularity means that it is popping up all over the supermarket these days.

Bossa Nova bottles açaí juice, both pure and blended with other fruit juices, to make it easy for consumers to get the maximum health benefits of the fruit. All of their products are completely organic and they proudly advertise the fact that they work in conjunction with the Rainforest Alliance, so that each bottle you buy saves a tree. They make five flavors, including açaí and açaí blended with raspberry, blueberry, mango and passionfruit. Açaí itself tastes quite similar to blueberry, which will give you an idea of what the flavor combinations taste like, but the excellent drinks are refreshing and give you a little peace of mind that you're doing something good for your body.

In a bid to compete with Coca Cola's Odwalla line of smoothies and vitamin-fortified fruit drinks, which the company acquired in 2001, Pepsi has bought the company Naked Juice. Naked Juice offers a line of more than 20 different juices, juice blends and smoothies, all of which are 100% natural and free from added sugars, preservatives and artificial colorings. A privately held company, their annual revenue is about $150 million, which has led financial analysts to speculate Pepsi probably paid around $450 million for Naked Juice, although the terms of the sale were not disclosed. Naked Juice will benefit from this new partnership by gaining access to more retailers and a much bigger marketing department, which they will be able to take advantage of to promote their "super premium" juices, raising their brand awareness for health and wellness conscious consumers.

Source

If you love drinking fruit juices, but think you might need to cut back because of recent reports out of UCSF linking juice to childhood obesity, well ignore that and pay attention to this recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine that shows that frequently drinking fruit and vegetable juices may significantly cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

US researchers found that the risk of Alzheimer's disease was "76% lower for those who drank juice more than three times a week, compared with those who drank it less than once a week."

Fruit and vegetable juices are rich in polyphenols, chemicals that disrupt the process that accumulates clumps of beta-amyloid protein in the brain, which are associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.

So while you might get a little chubby from all that sugar, at least you'll remember who you are.

Love wine but need to "lay off the slosh sauce" for a bit? You could drink grape juice, especially now since Welch's 100% Concord grape juice has been listed as a top anti-oxidant containing food, but then, you're just drinking grape juice.

Navarro Vineyards, located in the Anderson Valley in coastal Mendocino, has been growing grapes and making wine since 1974, but they also make grape juices from the same grape varietals they use to make wine: Chardonnay, Gewürtztraminer, and Pinot Noir. They started making the juices after their own children wanted to share in the joys of the vineyard.

Bottles are availabel for purchase from their website and cost between $9.75 and $11.00 per bottle.

[via: BoingBoing]

We have discussed the fact that juice is not the healthy drink that it appears to be because it can have as many calories and as much sugar as soda. For a snack that is more filling with fewer calories, it is a better idea to eat the whole fruit than to simply sip the juice.

E4B is a company that put the nutritional aspects of whole fruit into a drinkable form. They sell conveniently packaged fruit purees in five flavors: strawberry banana, mango, pear caramel, kiwi and blueberry raspberry. All of the purees are made with 100% natural fruits with no additives and one of the main reasons that E4B's products work is that their unique packaging, developed in Japan for use by NASA's astronauts, allows the contents to remain fresh without preservatives or refrigeration.

You can sip the purees as a snack or an on-the-go quick breakfast. They can also be used as a topping for ice creams and other desserts. You can buy them online or check their website for store locations.

[via Cool Hunting]

Source