Are fruit drinks soda's evil twin?

Soda gets a ton of flack from the health community, but should fruit drinks be next on the public flogging totem pole? For the longest time, sodas have become synonymous with an obviously unhealthy habit. They are chock full of sugar, they're busting at the seams with calories and for the most part, they have no nutritional value whatsoever.

Healthscience.net does a very colorful, entertaining spotlight on the dangers of fruit drinks, both in consumption and public perception. Just when you thought ditching that coke in favor for a Snapple would benefit your health long term, you may have thought wrong.

One interesting fact brought forth by the study and subsequent infographic [see below] is the FDA's criteria for being called a 'fruit drink' boils down to the end product having just "some fruit juice." Some drinks reportedly are less than 1% fruit juice.

Interesting figures for the cause?

8 ounces of Snapple Apple has 27 grams of sugar, 1 more gram of sugar than an 8 oz. Coca-Cola and 2 more grams of sugar than 2 and a half glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

We're not advocating not drinking fruit drinks, and no way are we saying don't down sodas on the regular. I mean, what else would we water down our Vodka with?

A little more knowledge never hurt anybody, though. Scrutinizing your food and drink's packaging could go a long way in making you more aware of your consumption habits.

Curiously enough, high sugar content in 'fruit drinks' shouldn't be news, but indeed, here we are, in almost a quarter of the way through 2012 and we're reporting on it as new.

If you were craving a Pepsi, but saw a 'fruit drink' right next to it and thought that'd be a better way to quench your sugary thirst, maybe you should think twice?

Or don't. Whatever: