Benefits of Apple Juice & Sparkling Water
Whether you are dieting for weight loss or eating to maintain a healthy weight, it is worth paying attention to the calories and nutrients you drink as well as those you eat. Calorie-laden beverages such as full-fat dairy drinks and sugary sodas can contribute a significant number of calories to your daily total. You can consume apple juice and sparkling water separately or as a mixed drink that has several health benefits. Consult your doctor before making significant dietary changes.
Apple juice can be mixed with sparkling water. (Image: stephanhartmann/iStock/Getty Images)Apple Juice
The USDA standard nutrient database provides data for canned or bottled apple juice, without ascorbic acid added. A serving size of one 8.45 fl. oz. juice box contains 121 calories, 29.6 g of carbohydrates, 25.2 g of sugars, and less than 1 g each of dietary fiber, protein and fat. Apple juice is typically virtually fat-free, while providing potassium, calcium and vitamin C.
Sparkling Water
USDA data for the sparkling water sold as Perrier indicates that there is virtually no calorie or nutrient content in this water. The minerals calcium and fluoride are present in sparkling water. The nutritional benefits of sparkling water are its capacity to provide your body with hydration without any significant sugar content. If you mix together sparkling water with apple juice, the calories and sugars in the apple juice will be diluted so that your mixed drink has fewer calories per fluid ounce.
Combination
Apple juice mixed with sparkling water has a better nutritional profile overall than many commercially available fizzy drinks and sodas. If you use natural, fresh or organic apple juice in your drink mix, there are likely no artificial sweeteners, flavorings or colors contained in the apple juice. By contrast, many sodas contain artificial colors, sweeteners and added caffeine. Apple juice and sparkling water, as a mixture, contains fewer calories per ounce than sugared cola beverages, for example.
Considerations
Both apple juice and sparkling water have the potential to cause dental erosion. Apple juice is acidic in pH, and has a high content of fructose sugar. Acidic and sugary conditions are favorable for the development of tooth erosion and potentially tooth decay. Diluting apple juice with sparkling water reduces the overall acidity of the drink. However, sparkling water has greater potential to cause dental erosion than non-sparkling water, due to ionic composition. However, both sparkling and still mineral water cause only 1 percent of the dental erosion that can result from soda consumption.
