Is Orange Juice fattening???

14 years ago

I have always been a big soft drink, koolaid, fruit juice type of person. I am trying to cut down on my weight so I have stopped the soft drinks and drastically reduced the fruit juice intake. I pretty much drink only water, and only use the OJ when I make my green smoothies or need to take some vitamin C powder (it's too sour to get down with water only).

Looking on the side of a carton of OJ, it often lists well over 20 grams of sugar and upwards of 150 calories. I have a feeling drinks were the major culprit in my weight gain, as several glasses of juice and coke a day could equal over 1000 calories with LOADS of sugar. With that much sugar, is OJ just as bad as Coke or koolaid? Is store bought OJ any better than sugar water? Does pasteurization ruin the nutritional value? Does fresh squeezed have any advantages over store bought?

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Comments (5)

catherinet
14 years ago
Moderation is the key. OJ is a great, healthy drink, but not if you drink it all day long. I think fruit sugar (fructose) is healthier than white sugar, but it still has calories and it still can trigger your hunger for sweets.
I think fresh squeezed OJ is better, but store-bought is still pretty good. Be sure to get some pulp in the store-bought one too, so you get the fiber. I'm sure pasteurization decreases the Vitamin C content, but its still pretty high after that (according to the stats on the OJ labels).
Coke is awful for you........too much corn syrup/sugar/phosphorus, etc. Also, it has caffeine, which will stimulate your appetite.
I drink about a half a coke a day, and know that its hard to quit that stuff! Sounds like you're trying really hard to lose weight. I think getting away from sugar really helps to decrease your appetite.
Good luck to you!
oilpainter
14 years ago
If you use fresh squeezed nonsweetened OJ or the concentrate with no sugar added there is no added sugar only the natural sugars of the fruit. It as well as most unsweetened fruit juices have approximately half the calories of pop, but a lot better nutrition.

I would not advise going with just OJ as a substitute for soda pop. You need to add water as well. Drinking water will take off weight because it has no calories and takes the edge off wanting to eat. If you like Koolade and not just plain water, try the crystal light added to your water or add a little juice or koolade.

If you mix your juice from concentrate add an extra can of water, that will reduce the calories. If you have a real craving for soda have a half bottle. You will find it easier to stick with your new improved drinking if you treat yourself once in a while.
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jockewing
Original Author
14 years ago
Oh believe me, I am drinking at least 120 oz of water daily. I have really started to love water! It is so much more refreshing. I can't believe I used to drink glass after glass of that sickly sweet grape punch and coke. I see now how detrimental that was to my health. I am probably 60-70 pounds overweight. But the thing is, I never really ate that much. It was almost all the sugary drinks. I lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks just from dropping to only 1 coke a day and cutting out all other sugar drinks. I am now trying to eliminate that 1 coke, but I still love an ice cold coca-cola!!!! I guess 1 is a WHOLE LOT better than 4 or 5 a day! The doc told me I was flirting with diabetes if I kept it up!
Terrapots
14 years ago
JW, good for you. In reality it's better to eat an orange rather than to drink the juice. Fruit juices are limited in persons with diabetes, there is very little fiber or none even in the drinks with pulp. I love cold, cold coke, hate any sugar free drinks but I have found that instead of sweet drinks extra cold club soda with a squeese of lemon or lime really hits the spot and no sugar. Eat a good breakfast with some protein and lots of fiber, like whole grain bread or bran cereal. Keep up the good work.
seneca_s
14 years ago
I gotta say fructose is worse than sugar. You are getting vitamins and minerals in your juice but you should never drink your sugar. It hits you too fast and affects your insulin and leptin sensitivity making it harder to lose weight. I'd take the vitamin C as a capsule instead, vit c drinks are hard on the teeth.