Is Goji Juice Really as Good as it is Being Promoted As?

Goji juice is hyped as the cure-all remedy for 34 different ailments, including arthritis, diabetes and cancer. But the truth is both shocking and infuriating. In the lab, goji juice proves to have little nutritional value.

Earl Mendel -- the author of the Vitamin Bible -- is the face of Himalayan Goji, and he's making some pretty hefty claims about the berry. And that's the problem. Upon probing, he admits he's talking about the berry -- not necessarily the juice!

Himalayan Goji juice is not sold in stores, but rather through a multi-level marketing plan. At about $50 per bottle, there's lots of money being made, but there does not seem to be enough proof to back up the amazing health claims of the juice itself.

Now, please understand that I have nothing against Goji berries. I fully believe that they are a powerhouse of nutrition and loaded with beneficial antioxidants and micronutrients. I even consume them myself.

However,  this appears to be a classic example of sleazy nutritional marketing that exaggerates the benefits of a good food, adulterates it and then puts it in a multi-level marketing scam that fleeces good people of their hard-earned money with very little benefit.

In general, fruit juice is not the best way to consume a fruit. It is typically better to consume the whole fruit.

Most of traditional medicine fails to recognize that the sugars in fruit juice contribute to major distortions of insulin balance. I believe that fruit juice and pasteurized milk are two of the most misunderstood foods in our culture. Most people believe they are health foods, while the polar opposite is true. They tend to be pernicious fluids that worsen most people's health.

Juicing your vegetables at home, however, is a very different matter. Juiced vegetables do not have the absurdly high sugar content of fruit juice, and vegetable juicing can be a very healthy practice.