Too much of a good thing

In my previous posting I left off posing the question of whether drinking more than one glass of the Bolthouse Blue Goodness could pose any harm. 

Now, to make this situation more realistic, what would happen if an average person were to incorporate this beverage into their everyday eating regime, as a substitution for their fruit intake?  Well, according to Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide, 1/2 a cup of fruit juice = 1 serving of fruit.  Therefore, if one were aiming to meet the 7-10 servings of vegetables & fruit per day, they would need to drink approximately 2 cups of juice, which is equivalent to 4 servings of fruit.  Let's incorporate all this into a hypothetical one-day meal plan for an average adult:

Breakfast: 1 cup of milk + 2 slices of toast with peanut butter + 1 cup Bolthouse Blue Goodness

Lunch at Subways: 6" sweet onion teriyaki + cookie + water

Dinner: Beef & broccoli stir-fry + rice

Snacks: Yogurt + 1 cup Bolthouse Blue Goodness

Seems like a pretty "healthy"diet right?  If I then go ahead and enter this one-day food record into a diet analysis software to calculate the amount of nutrients the person would be consuming for that one day, it would show the following:

If you take a look carefully, there are two nutrients that are flagued, and they are Niacin and Folate.  This is because both these nutrients reached levels above the Tolerable Upper Intake Level that is recommended by Health Canada.   A Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the highest level of continuing daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects in almost all individuals.  As intake increases above the UL, the potential risk of adverse effects increases. The UL is not intended to be a recommended level of intake.

It is important to note that some nutrients do not have a TUL set in place because no side effects have been shown from consuming large quantites.  For the most part, these include water soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C.  When we consume more than we need of Vitamin C, our body just excretes the excess in our urine.  Hence the term "expensive urine," referring to those who mega dose on vitamin & mineral supplements. 

The UL for Niacin is 35mg for adults aged 14+, with the most notable niacin side effect being flushing of the skin. Intake of relatively large doses of niacin results in the dilation of the blood vessels leading to the occurrence of "niacin flushing." This phase usually lasts about 20 to 30 minutes.  Other side effects include itching, skin rashes, gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, flatulence, bloating and diarrhea.  Luckily, niacin overdose does not lead to death. 

The UL for Folate is 1000mcg for adults aged 14+ and refers to folate that is from supplements or fortified foods, such as Blue Goodness.  At very high doses greater the UL, folate intake can trigger the same kinds of nervous system-related symptoms that it is ordinarily used to prevent. These symptoms include insomnia, malaise, irritability, and intestinal dysfunction.  High intakes of folate can also mask Vitamin B12 deficiencies, particularily in the elderly and those who adhere to a vegan diet. 

Now, not to be generalistic or anything, but I am almost certain that most people drink juice just as a beverage like a pop or water, and not so much as a means to meet their fruit quota for the day.  In another words, for some people, they actually may be consuming far more than their recommended levels of vitamins if you take into account their fruit juice + whole fruit consumption per day.  Luckily, most of the toxicity symptoms only occur when a person overdoses from supplements or fortified foods.  This means, that it is highly unlikely that you would ever overdose on a vitamin from eating just whole fruits. 

The take home message from all of this is for you to realize that the Bolthouse Blue Goodness, along with their entire line of fruit smoothies are fortified with vitamins and in some cases minerals.  Therefore, it is important not to drink more than the recommended amount written on the bottle, usually being only 1, 240mL glass. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not trying to sway you away from drinking Bolthouse or any other 100% fruit smoothie.  I myself love the taste of Bolthouse smoothies, and will definately continue drinking it, but only in small quantities! Given that the retail price for one 946mL bottle of Botlhouse sells for almost $5, its hard not to drink these smoothies in moderation!

What are your thoughts??

Juiced Out

All of us have heard many times that we should be consuming more fruits and vegetables.  According to Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide, Adults aged 19-50 should be consuming 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.  This may seem like a lot, but one serving can be as simple as 1/2 a cup of broccoli or 20 grapes.

Within these past few years, there has been an explosion of beverages marketed to the health-conscious consumer to help them consume their recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables.  Below are examples of such beverages that are touted for being 100% natural, 100% delicious and loaded with vitamins and minerals. 

Since these drinks are made solely from "natural" ingredients, there's no such thing as drinking too much, right?  Well, that's the question that I came to ask myself a few weeks back when I went to pour myself a glass of Bolthouse Blue Goodness.  It came to my surprise that there was no longer a nutritional facts table on the bottle.  Instead, there was just a list of medicinal ingredients and their corresponding quantity.  The absense of a nutritional facts table may not mean much to most people, but if you research further, you would realize that this change only means one thing.  Yes, it means that the Bolthouse Blue Goodness is no longer just a Berry smoothie, but a Natural Health Product.   The new name on the bottle would also reveal this change:

 A quick glance at the bottle, and most people wouldn't realize that the subheading switched from stating "Fruit Smoothie" to "Vitamin Supplement."  So why is this product now classified as a Natural Health Product and what does this change have on consumers?

According to Health Canada's Natural Health Product's Regulations, the definition of a Natural Health Products (NHPs) has two components: function and substance.

The function component refers to the NHP definition capturing those substances that are manufactured, sold or represented for use in:

• the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of a disease, disorder or abnormal physical state or its symptoms in humans;
• restoring or correcting organic functions in humans; or
• modifying organic functions in humans, such as modifying those functions in a manner that maintains or promotes health.

The substance component refers to the medicinal ingredient in a natural health product which includes:

• vitamins & minerals
• herbal remedies
• homeopathic medicines
• traditional medicines such as Chinese medicines
• probiotics and
• other products such as amino acids and essential fatty acids

In order for a product to be classified as a NHP, the manufacturer has to go through rigourous protocol, to meet Health Canada's standards.  NHPs are considered safe for consumers and do not require a presciption by a medical physican. 

Now that we have defined what a NHP is, what are the implications for consumers?  Well, for one thing, there are now Directions written on each bottle of Bolthouse Blue Goodness.  It reads,
Directions: Adults:  Take 1 cup (240ml) one time per day with food. 
Caution: People sesitive to nicotinic acid may experience flushing of the skin that is generally mild and transient. 

So what happens if a person drinks more than one cup a day?  Well please stay tuned for my next posting!

For now, I recommend everyone to drink these high-nutrient beverages in moderation!