Member-only story
Are You Starting Your Day with Orange Juice!?
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Waistline
I think it’s safe to say that while growing up we were all told to drink orange juice. Cereal commercials would show a “balanced” breakfast, consisting of a bowl of cereal, a side of toast…and a glass of orange juice. Today, we see that as sugar, sugar, and a glass of sugar! If we want to talk about balanced plates, adding something like orange juice to your morning meal must be discussed.
When it comes to the nutritional value, look at the label of your favorite brand to see what it offers. According to the USDA, 8 oz of orange juice has: 122 calories, 2g of protein, 0g of fat, 28g of carbs (of which 20g are sugar and 1g is fiber), 4.9mg of sodium, 27mg of calcium, and 83mg of vitamin C.
There are tremendous benefits to the nutrients in orange juice, yet the juice itself is giving us lots of sugar without much fiber. If you choose to eat an orange, the actual fruit has 2 grams of fiber and 9 grams of sugar; much better than drinking this bottled drink. Orange juice is more likely to spike blood sugar and affect your metabolic health, cardiovascular health, and almost every other system in our body. Yikes! Maybe not a balanced breakfast…
I always remember hearing orange juice is needed for vitamin C. Yes, vitamin C is a powerful nutrient; it’s a water-soluble vitamin…