Is it okay to drink pasteurized juice?

by Danny
(San Diego, CA, USA)

Danny's Question: Most fruit juices that I find at the store are pasteurized. Should I avoid these? I'm assuming that such juices could not be considered "raw" because of the heating involved in the pasteurization. If so, what alternatives could be used in fruit smoothies?

Andrew's Answer: You'll rarely find fresh juices for sale in a supermarket, although I've seen a few progressive supermarkets that juice their own fruit and sell it. These must be labeled as unpasteurized by law, and the containers usually note that they should be consumed quickly and kept refrigerated.

The many commercial brands available are pasteurized, and suffer all the same damage from the heating process that all cooked foods do. They cannot be considered raw, and they should be avoided.

In moderation, juicing can be a healthy part of your diet, although it cannot replace whole fruits and vegetables.

Smoothies don't need juice to be tasty. Many sweet fruit smoothies taste great with water. One of my all time favorites is fresh dates blended with plenty of water. Banana, celery, and water is another favorite of many raw foodists. Blended watermelon is a very interesting drink because all the fiber is there but it tastes just like juice. There's so little pulp to begin with that you don't even notice it after it's been blended.

Learn more about a healthy raw food diet here.