EXPERT ADVICE

Superjuices on Trial

In a perfect world we'd all eat three apples a day to get our daily dose of vitamins and antioxidants, but let's face it: Toting around a fruit basket isn't easy. Which is why some companies claim that drinking their "superjuices" is nearly as good as chowing down on a Granny Smith. American consumers have bought the hype, boosting juice sales to $662 million in 2007. But are juices a sound substitute for the real thing? Miriam Pappo, director of clinical nutrition at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, says four ingredients make a juice nutritionally beneficial: phenolic acids (to prevent cancer), anthocyanins (to prevent aging), vitamin C (to aid in healing wounds), and beta-carotene (to boost the immune system). Plus: "Studies have found that if you replenish your glycogen levels within 15 minutes of exercising – which is easily done with juice – it is very helpful for the next workout," Pappo says. We commissioned and paid for independent lab tests* of several juices to find out which ones are worth reaching for.

* All tests were conducted and approved by contract-testing laboratory ChromaDex. Test results may vary up to 15 percent.

Launch Gallery » – Jamie Beckman