Things Are Not Always As They Seem

"Enjoy Natural Life."  "Start your day with Fremo Aloe Drink."

I was introduced to this Fremo Aloe drink a few days ago. Beautifully packaged. A wonderful juice with Aloe and Kiwi - obviously very good for you! Aloe is rich in vitamins, including B, C and E as well as folic acid, which fortify the body's immune system. Kiwi is a nutrient dense fruit, with vitamin C, A, Iron, Potassium and folate. I think I will drink this right now!


However, being inquisitive and an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach - I read the label first. I was completely baffled and frustrated to find yet another product that is being marketed as "healthy" yet it is completely the opposite. 

The ingredients list is as follows: Aloe Vera Gel, Sugar, Honey, Citric Acid, L-Abscorbic Acid, Gellan Gumfood Grade, Calcium Lactate, Trisodium Citrate, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Red No. 40, Artificial Kiwi Flavor, Purified Water

My first issue with this beverage is that the second ingredient is SUGAR and the third ingredient is HONEY. This tells me that this product is high in sugar overall. Before I address that however, I will list the ingredients.

1. Aloe Vera - At least Aloe Vera is the majority ingredient
2. Sugar - Sweetener
3. Honey - Sweetener
4. Citric Acid - As a Preservative, a controversial ingredient in this form
5. L-Ascorbic Acid - A controversial ingredient in this form - Synthetic Vitamin C
6. Gellan Gum Food Grade - Thickener, emulsifier, stabilizer
7. Calcium Lactate - Acidity Regulator, Emulsifying Salt, Firming Agent, Thickener
8. Trisodium Citrate - Preservative, Flavoring
9. FD&C Blue No. 1 - Controversial Food Coloring
10. FD&C Yellow No. 5 - Controversial Food Coloring
11. FD&C Red No 40 - Food coloring
12. Artificial Kiwi Flavor - I can't provide a link as I don't know 
13. Purified Water - Water

I will leave you to do more research on the ingredients, however feel free to click on the links I have added for ease. In regards to the added food coloring, when I poured this product into a glass, it had a clear look to it...... I ask myself, "Why are food colors added to begin with?"

Now on to the nutritional facts of this product. 

Serving Size = 1 cup
Servings per container = 3
Calories per serving = 80 (Drink the whole bottle, 240 calories. "Empty" calories that have no true value to your body.)
Total Carbohydrates = 20g (Drink the whole bottle, 60g of "refined" carbs, these are the bad carbs.)
Sugars = 20g (drink the whole thing, that is 60g of sugar headed right into your bloodstream.)

I am going to step up onto my SUGAR SOAP BOX now.
20 grams of sugar- What exactly does 20 grams of sugar look like? 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. Therefore, a 1 cup serving of this beverage contains 5 teaspoons of added sugar. If you drink all 3 servings of this beverage, which would be very easy to do as 3 cups is not very much, you are consuming 15 teaspoons of added sugar!

Why is this so terrible? Consuming this much sugar as it is provided in this beverage will throw your body into an urgent state of sugar/glucose management. Your body has to quickly figure out what to do with the massive influx of sugar flooding your bloodstream. In response, your body must quickly produce high amounts of the hormone insulin to counter the spike in blood sugar. You feel the wonderful "sugar high" after drinking this beverage and then as the insulin urgently processes the sugar, you end up with what is called athe dreaded "sugar crash." Your body now has too much insulin flowing through it's veins and not enough glucose/sugar. You feel tired and fatigued at this point and now want sugar again to counter the crash. This is a vicious cycle which I need to write a separate blog for.

I am stepping down from my SUGAR SOAP BOX now. 

The lesson here: 
One very important thing you can do to improve your health and to stay healthy is to learn how to read labels. When I work with my clients this is one aspect we focus on. Be a wise shopper and look past the fancy, "healthy looking" labels. Investigate the fine print and spare your body the toxic assault of hidden and added sugars.

In Health,

Tracy