I recently learned about Tropicana Probiotic Juice, a new juice product making its way into grocery stores everywhere.
The problem is that Tropicana Probiotic Juice is simply health-washing an otherwise unhealthy product. Let me explain…
I’m a big believer in probiotics and with good reason! Probiotics populate your gut with beneficial bacteria. I believe probiotics were and still are essential in helping me heal my body from the ravages of celiac disease.
But, unfortunately, Tropicana Probiotic Juice is NO GOOD FOR YOUR GUT. Seriously, not good. The idea that putting a few probiotics in a beverage overflowing with sugar is beyond comprehension and what I called health-washing.
In fact, Tropicana Probiotic Juice is so loaded with sugar and is terrible for your gut health – quite the opposite of what it was meant to do.
Each 8 oz serving contains a whooping 28 grams of sugar to be exact. Twenty eight grams of sugar! Let that soak in for a minute.
Guess what sugar does to your body? Sugar assaults your gut because it feeds the bad bacteria and allows it to grow and proliferate. Any efforts to repopulate your gut with good bacteria by drinking Tropicana Probiotic Juice is completely null and void when such a beverage is mainly stuffed with sugar.
(Plus, sugar is an highly addictive and extremely inflammatory food. So much for healing your body, right?)
How Does the Sugar in Tropicana Probiotic Juice Compare to Sugar in Pepsi?
When you compare the sugar content in Tropicana Probiotic Juice to other sugary beverages, you’ll be shocked to your core!
Eight ounces of Pepsi contains about 28 grams of sugar – this is EQUAL to the amount of sugar in Tropicana Probiotic Juice. Yep, Tropicana Probiotic Juice contains JUST AS MUCH SUGAR AS AN 8 OUNCE CAN OF PEPSI!!
I can’t help but wonder if you’d be better off drinking a can of Pepsi and taking a therapeutic dose of probiotics from a pill instead instead of chugging Tropicana Probiotic Juice. Makes you think, huh? Or maybe we should put beneficial bacteria inside a can of Pepsi and health-wash it too? (This is sarcastic, please, Pepsi, don’t get any ideas!)
There is no way that Tropicana Probiotic Juice can “out-compete” (Tropicana’s words, not mine) the bad bacteria in your gut when the drink is feeding the bad bacteria 28 grams of sugar?!? This is mind boggling to me!
But I Thought Probiotics Were Good For Me?
Yes, probiotics are SO GOOD FOR YOU! Take them, every day, religiously. Your gut microbiome is in charge of your whole body health so keep it happy. Good gut bacteria keeps the bad bacteria in check.
However, please don’t get your probiotics from sugary drinks like Tropicana Probiotic Juice, GoodBelly probiotic drinks, or Yoplait and other sugary yogurts (on average these yogurts contain 18 grams of sugar or more and contain only a very small amount of probiotics!).
Instead, get your probiotics from a capsule found at your local natural grocery store.
Here’s what to look for when buying probiotics:
- Look for a refrigerated, high quality brand with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria – lactobacillus and bifidobacterium are the two most common and essential.
- If you suffer from inflammation, autoimmune or any chronic condition, choose a probiotic with 50 billion CFUs (colony forming units) or higher. If you’re doing it to maintain health, choose 25-50 billion CFUs.
- Switch brands often to introduce new beneficial bacteria into your gut. Buy what’s on sale.
- Purchase probiotics as you need them (vs. stocking up) to ensure the probiotics are alive (they can die off over time) and therefore give you maximum benefits.
I hope that you’ve learned a valuable health lesson today and didn’t fall for the health-washing of an unhealthy juice product nor did you fall for the marketing gimmicks of PepsiCo (Pepsi owns Tropicana). Remember, don’t get your probiotics from a sugar-loaded beverages or foods; there are better and healthier ways to achieve good gut health.
One other thing to keep in mind… while Tropicana Probiotic Juice is gluten-free – it’s far far far from good for you (at least in my opinion).
“All disease begins in the gut.” Hippocrates
Additional Reading:
- 10 Probiotic Foods You Should Never Eat
- 19 So-Called “Health Foods” that Aren’t Even Healthy
- Why Gut Health Matters in Celiac Disease
- 10 Amazing Homemade Juicing Recipes
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