Sunny D is enjoyed by millions and was a common drink for me as a kid. Most people who try it, love the taste!
But, is Sunny D good for you, and are there dangers to drinking it? Also, is Sunny D vegan and gluten-free? These are some questions we’ll look at and whether Sunny D is a healthy choice for your family.
Is Sunny D Vegan?
On to the first question, is Sunny D vegan?
The majority of ingredients for Sunny D don’t have any conflicts with a vegan diet. So if you’re worried about this drink for you or your kids, it is vegan friendly as no animal products are used in its production.
However, yellow 6 is used in Sunny D which was tested on animals. So, if you’re a strict vegan and are concerned with the ethical considerations of testing ingredients on animals, Sunny D might not be for you.
What Is In Sunny D?
Sunny D is made with a variety of ingredients. Because it’s not a fresh juice, it requires processing and preservatives to ensure it lasts longer. The following ingredients are what makeup Sunny D.
Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and 2% or Less of Concentrated Orange Juice, Concentrated Tangerine Juice, Concentrated Apple Juice, Concentrated Lime Juice, Concentrated Grapefruit Juice, Concentrated Pear Juice, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Natural Flavor, Modified Cornstarch, Canola Oil, Sodium Citrate, Cellulose Gum, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Neotame, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Potassium Sorbate to Protect Flavor, Yellow 5, Yellow 6.
Is Sunny D Gluten-Free?
Looking through the ingredients for Sunny D, nothing is listed that contains gluten. Since there are no listed ingredients that would be dangerous and Sunny D states it on their website, Sunny D is gluten-free!
This gluten-free status applies to their other flavors as well, making it safe to drink for anyone with a sensitivity to gluten or celiacs.
Is Sunny D Orange Juice?
Sunny D contains a number of different ingredients, one of which is concentrated orange juice. But that doesn’t mean Sunny D is orange juice. In fact, in the listing, there is less than 2% of concentrated orange juice, tangerine juice, apple juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and pear juice.
The ingredients don’t necessarily state that 2% is mostly orange juice or any other juice. This makes it hard to determine exactly how much orange juice is in Sunny D. But, as the combination of all its juices makes up less than 2%, it can be safe to assume there’s barely any orange juice in the drink.
So, it’s safe to say that Sunny D is not orange juice and contains very little concentrated fruit juices.
Is Sunny D Acidic?
The term acidic has a few different meanings to different people. However, regarding the ph of Sunny D, it does sit around 2.8 on the scale, making it acidic.
Does that mean it’s going to melt the inside of your stomach or anything else you put it on? Obviously it won’t, Sunny D isn’t some kind of acid that will melt the bottle it’s in. Its level of acidity means it may react a bit differently when digested and will have a more sour taste.
Is Sunny D Bad For You?
It’s not always so black and white when deciding if something is healthy for you or not. However, there are some aspects of Sunny D that make it a less than suitable drink if you’re keeping an eye on your overall health.
For starters, there are a lot of sugars added to Sunny D. The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that the average daily intake of sugar should be no more than 24g for women and 36g for men. Considering Sunny D has around 26g of sugar per 8oz serving, it already exceeds the recommended daily intake for women.
On the plus side, Sunny D does contain more vitamin C than you’ll need in a day. Sadly, the vitamin C content is about the only positive for this drink in regard to its impact on your health.
Finally, adding in all the artificial flavors and sweeteners, Sunny D isn’t very good for you and offers few benefits while containing far too much sugar.
Does Sunny D Have Vitamin D?
Despite the name, there doesn’t seem to be any significant amount of vitamin D in Sunny D. After checking Sunny D’s website, nowhere in the nutrition facts does it track the amount of vitamin D in it.
Does Sunny D Have Caffeine?
There are a lot of ingredients in Sunny D but caffeine isn’t one of them! Sunny D states that there is no caffeine added into any of their Sunny D flavors.
Summary
To sum up this article, Sunny D is vegan as long as you don’t consider yellow 6 (an ingredient tested on animals) as an issue. Sunny D is also gluten-free and caffeine-free!
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