CHI MD, NSN Chairman Advocate Daily Fruit Juice Intake

Martins Ifijeh

The Managing Director of CHI Limited Nigeria Roy Deepanjan, and Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Dr. Oluwatosin Adu, have called on Nigerians to embrace daily intake of fruit juice as a way of boosting their physical wellbeing.

The duo made this call at the 2019 Chivita World Juice Day Conference themed, ‘Everyday Wellness – Crystallising the Role of Fruit Juice’, held at Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday, October 17, 2019.

Speaking at the event, Deepanjan said fruit juice intake is an excellent way to achieve the recommended daily amounts of nutrients the body requires to meet its optimal health. He stated that 100% fruit juice is an alternative to fresh fruits and vegetables known to contain essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Deepanjan added: “This is why nutrition experts recommend that we drink 1½ – 2 glasses of 100% fruit juice every day. Research indicates that countries that are low in consumption of natural foods and fruit juices also rank low in life expectancy. This is because fruit juice is a key component of the healthy living equation.

“Being the leader in the fruit juice category in Nigeria, Chivita has boldly taken up this public interest initiative to drive awareness for everyday wellbeing through fruit juice consumption.”

This year’s event themed, ‘Everyday Wellness: Crystallizing the Role of Fruit Juice.’ brought together experts & key opinion leaders on one platform.

Deepanjan said “Chivita is not only committed to producing quality and healthy beverages, but also feels responsible to educate consumers about making the right beverage choices to ensure their overall health and wellbeing. This platform will enable us deepen the conversations on fruit juice consumption.”

In the keynote address, Dr Adu, Associate Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at the Lagos State University, stated that, “100% fruit juice plays a major role in boosting wellness and that its nutritional value is at par with that of fresh fruits and vegetables”.

He noted: “Consuming 100% fruit juice along with foods rich in non-haem iron can help increase absorption of minerals. It helps consumers to achieve recommended potassium intake levels and support the maintenance of normal blood pressure in the general population.

“Pure fruit juice contains bioactive substances such as carotenoids (mainly luteins and cryptoxanthins) and polyphenols (hesperidin and narirutin which are within the flavanone group). Flavonoid and phenolics found in fruit juice have been shown to modulate oxidative stress, inflammatory stress and microbial growth.”

Chivita World Juice Day, an initiative of CHI Limited, makers of quality and healthy beverages and food products, is an annual event commemorating the role of fruit juice in everyday wellness.