A biochemist has warned about how a popular labelling practice on foods may not mean that something is as healthy as it might appear.
Jessie Inchauspé opened up about the way that foods are labelled and marketed at us, directing her frustration at one particular labelling practice which could affect your health.
This is when something has 'no added sugar', and Inchauspé pointed out that the most important word here is 'added'.
It turns out that just because something doesn't have sugar added to it, doesn't mean that it doesn't contain sugar.
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Asked by Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett about some popular food myths, she replied: "No added sugars. That is so deceptive. Because this glass of orange juice has no added sugars in it, because the sugar was there at the beginning, it come from the orange, from the original ingredient.
"So on a can of orange juice you can say 'no added sugar' even though it contains 25 grams of sugar."
Inchauspé also claimed that 'gluten free' and 'vegan' are also misleading, as they might imply that something is good for you, explaining that 'it's not because it's gluten free or vegan that it's good for you'.
Though in fairness, those labels are actually very important if you happen to be someone with coeliac disease, or vegan.
Another myth that Inchauspé looked at was comparing the sugar content of fruit juice, for example orange juice, and a soda.
"If you compare a glass of orange juice to a glass of Coca Cola, it's the same amount of sugar, about 25 grams," she said.
"And the sugar in the can of coke and the sugar in the glass of orange juice, they're exactly the same, they're glucose and fructose molecules, and your body absorbs them in the exact same way.
"Your body does not make a difference between sugar from an orange and sugar from a sugar beet that's now in a can of Coca Cola."
Inchauspé even said that she would want to see orange juice no longer being used in school lunches and hospital meals.
"The World Health Organisation recommends 25 grams of sugar per day, or less," she said.
"So with just one glass of orange juice in the morning that you squeeze at home that you think is good for you, you're already at the maximum limit of sugar recommendation.
"And most people drink this glass of orange juice thinking it's good for them.
However, it's not strictly true to say that there's no difference between a glass of orange juice and a glass of soda.
While the juice does have high sugar content and drinking it as juice can get rid of benefits like fibre which you would get from eating an orange, as well as causing glucose spikes, there are still other benefits.
Orange juice contains vitamin C, folate, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B1, and one study examined by the BBC indicated that in moderation it may be beneficial.
But as with anything, moderation is very important.
Topics: News, World News, Food and Drink, Health
Kit Roberts