Here’s something that people learn the moment they start to count calories, watch their weight, or join any kind of fitness program – juice is not healthy in any way.
It’s also something you learn when you have children because doctors really don’t like you to give your kids anything but milk or water. We water down the juice in our house, and it’s only for special occasions.
In fact, it’s pretty much just like giving your kid a soda – sometimes worse.
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Before you get all up in arms about vitamins and other nutritional components, here’s the truth: even though orange juice does contain some vitamins and even a small amount of protein, research still shows that the best way to get nutrients from fruits and vegetables is to eat, you know…the whole thing.
Juicing fruit (and veggies) tends to remove most of the fiber, which means a glass of orange juice won’t leave you feeling nearly as full as eating a whole orange.
Orange juice is mostly full of the same crap as soda – sugar, water, and a bunch of other flavors and mix-ins – and those things can also result in mood swings and low energy levels. Not to mention the practically-empty calories.
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One 12 oz glass of orange juice (that’s admittedly a pretty large portion) contains 153 calories, 34g of carbs, 27g of sugar and just 2.4g of protein and .7g of fiber.
The same about of carbs and sugar you’d get from an entire bag of M&Ms.
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Which is to say, if you’re concerned about healthy eating or are watching your waistline, it’s best to opt for the orange itself and not the juice.
And if you don’t care about being healthy, you might as well have the M&Ms instead.
