The low-down on fruit juice
Do you enjoy a glass of orange juice occasionally? Perhaps just when its in the fridge, or maybe its when you go out for breaky on the weekend…
Having the occasional glass of orange juice is not a problem. If you are trying to watch your weight, I generally recommend leaving the OJ as an occasional drink (once-twice a week).
If I ask you the question – how many oranges would it take to squeeze 1 glass of orange juice? Depending on size and quantity of juice, it would take on average 3-4 oranges to make 1 glass of juice. How long does it take you to drink that glass of OJ? Sometimes a matter of seconds, especially if you are thirsty!
What if I then said to eat those 3-4 oranges, whole, rather than drink. How long would this take? Not sure about you but it would take me at least 10-20 minutes to eat all 4. At least. How full would you be after eating those 4 oranges when comparing it to drinking the glass of juice? I think you know the point I am getting at. Drinking that glass of juice is like eating 4 oranges, except you would be quite full for a good few hours.
The juice is high glycaemic index (GI), (meaning the sugars released from your small intestine to your blood stream is very quick, therefore not filling you up for very long).
The whole orange contains the fibre, and it’s the fibre that brings down the GI (low GI) and keeps you fuller for longer.
My tip?
If you are watching your weight, how about trying more vegetable based juices? This contains less sugar and therefore kilojoules. Include whole vegetables, and just 1 fruit for some sweetness. More vegetables in our diet is always going to be good for our health and weight. Try blending 4+ leaves kale with 2 carrots, half a cucumber and 1 green apple. And please leave the skin on the carrots, cucumber and apple for extra fibre goodness!!
Which juice do you do?!