Seven Unhealthy Juices To Avoid

Anytime you see the word “cocktail” in the product name, that’s a red flag, says Nanavati. Unlike other products that are labeled 100% juice, this Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail contains added sugar—more specifically, 23 grams of added sugar per serving. Sure, this juice does supply vitamin C, but that’s really the only perk here—and the fact remains that the third ingredient after water and cranberry juice is sugar.

By the way—Costa points out that the diet version of this drink isn’t necessarily better for you. While it only has 1 gram of sugar, it contains two different kinds of artificial sweeteners, significantly less vitamin C (20% of your daily value versus 100%), and multiple preservatives to extend the shelf life.

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This product is made from real lemons—but the reality is, it’s only 12% lemon juice. That explains why it doesn’t offer much vitamin C, a nutrient that lemons are naturally high in. The remainder of the juice is made up primarily of—you guessed it—added sugar and water. More specifically, Feder and Nanavati point out that Minute Maid Lemonade contains high fructose corn syrup, as well as two different kinds of artificial sweeteners.

Research has shown that high fructose corn syrup promotes obesity and increases your appetite more than regular table sugar. A 2023 study found that sucralose, one of the artificial sweeteners in this lemonade, not only damages DNA but can also contribute to a leaky gut—an intestinal condition that allows bacteria and toxins into the bloodstream.

“This juice provides very little nutritional value,” says Nanavati. Tropicana Caribbean Sunset only offers about 10% of your daily value for vitamin C—probably because the main ingredients in this beverage are water and sugar. Out of the whopping 21 grams of sugar in this drink, 17 grams are added sugar.

That also translates to 21 grams of carbohydrates, which is about the equivalent of two slices of wheat bread.

An 8-ounce serving of this juice contains about 50% of your daily value for vitamin C. Aside from that, though, this beverage offers almost no nutritional benefits—and a number of drawbacks.

“The first two ingredients in Welch’s Fruit Punch are water and high fructose corn syrup,” says Feder. “It’s high in added sugars, which can lead to unwanted weight gain and chronic diseases when consistently consumed. Additionally, it lacks several important vitamins and minerals and has no significant nutritional value.”

This product also contains the zero-calorie sweetener sucralose, which some studies have found may cause an imbalance in the gut microbiome, as well as reduce insulin sensitivity.

Imagine pouring 5 ½ teaspoons of sugar into your drink—that’s precisely how much is in one serving of Langers Pineapple Orange Guava juice.“It’s also only 15% real juice, meaning it’s primarily composed of added sugar and water,” says Costa.

Did we mention that it packs 31 grams of carbohydrates, which is more than a slice of pizza?

Across the board, dietitians agree that fruit punches should generally be avoided. That’s because they’re usually sugar bombs, and contain very little actual fruit juice.

Take Simply Fruit Punch, for example. The name is a bit misleading, says De Angelis, considering that sugar is the second ingredient on the label before any fruit juices. “With just one serving you almost reach half of the World Health Organization’s recommended maximum sugar intake,” she says.

At first glance, it might seem like this juice is pretty harmless—after all, it’s made with 100% non-GMO juice and contains no added sugar, flavors, colors, or preservatives. However, take a peek at the nutrition label and you’ll notice that it contains a staggering 140 calories, 35 grams of sugar, and 37 grams of carbohydrates per serving, so it is a very unhealthy juice. Worse yet, a 2019 Consumer Reports study found that it contains concerning levels of lead and arsenic.

Consumer Reports tested 45 juices across 24 popular national brands, to determine the levels of cadmium, lead, mercury, and inorganic arsenic—all of which pose known risks to human health. By and large, grape juice was found to be the most problematic in terms of the content of these contaminants. After evaluating the levels of heavy metals in these juices, Consumer Reports calculated how much of each product could be considered harmful to consume—and drinking just ½ cup of Welch’s 100% Grape Juice Concord Grape per day could pose health risks to both adults and children.