Something's fishy in your juice

or those of you who take health food advice with a lump of what dieticians would cringe at, this will make you smile.

Modern nutrition natter reveals that the healthy pack of juice is, well, not really a healthy substitute for the whole fruit after all.

So were the anti-oxidising qualities (good for hangovers), vitamin C content and other juice virtues myths? No.

Does that mean fruit or vegetable juices are not healthy? Definitely not.

The devil lies in the details. Juices are not a substitute for fruits and vegetables.

That's because fruit and vegetable portions -- pulp, skin and all -- contain nutrients that mere juice does not have. This is what fills you up and provides much needed roughage, or fibre, to keep your body shipshape.

No wonder -- despite all the juice you drank -- you were still hungry while on that diet.

Another hidden monster in packed fruit juices is the sugar content.

You might have given up on bottled fizzy pesticides, but the sugar content in your health conscious refrigerator's juice jar is almost as high as the big bad fizzy drinks.

You say you drink only homemade vegetable juice?  Reality check: nutrition pundits say most vegetables are healthier if they are cooked instead of juiced.

Sip on this, and do not make vegetables and fruits the monopoly of the mixer-grinder.