Orange juice, whose calorie content is low, is one of the most common drinks today. It is drunk by adults and children, it is an ingredient in the preparation of various dishes, and for many it is an integral part of the daily diet. So what exactly is orange juice? Calorie content, composition, benefits and harms, as well as cooking methods - this is all about this article.
What it is
This is, first of all, a product obtained from oranges by pressing them. There are several types of orange juice: natural and reconstituted. Moreover, they have quite a few differences. Natural orange juice is a drink obtained directly from fresh oranges and not subjected to any kind of preservation.
Of course, the shelf life of such juices is much shorter than their canned counterparts and usually does not exceed several days, but the health benefits are much higher due to the safety of all those vitamins and minerals that are found in fresh citrus fruits. The restored juice from oranges is called when it was obtained by diluting the concentrated composition. This species is able to be stored for a long time even at room temperature, since it went through the conservation process.
Juice preservation - what does it affect?
When it comes to juices, the canning process always goes through the standard heat treatment - pasteurization, so reconstituted store juices are also often called pasteurized. They have much less nutrients than in a natural product - fresh, but, as it is, they are cheaper and more affordable for consumers. Next, we will talk about all the properties of juice, implying it is natural juice from oranges (fresh), since the composition and benefits of canned drinks may differ from each other depending on specific manufacturers.
Orange Juice: Calories
What is the use of this drink for the figure? Is it possible to drink juice daily in liters instead of water and hope to lose weight? Of course not. You must always remember that drinks also have calories and are often quite high. Orange juice contains an average of 55 kcal per 100 grams of product. When compared with other juices, this is about the same amount of calories that is found in grape or pear juices, but, for example, grapefruit or carrot contain only about 30 kcal per 100 grams of product.
As a conclusion: orange juice, whose calorie content is approximately 55-60 kcal per 100 grams of the drink, cannot be used instead of water during the diet. No more than one glass of fresh juice is allowed per day.
Orange Chemistry
Now let's talk about such an important point as the composition of orange juice. Each person who watches what he eats, tries to study the composition of the products before buying them. But we rarely think about the "chemistry" of basic, everyday products. But in vain. Take, for example, orange juice. Its composition is very rich: an almost complete set of vitamins - A, C, B, E, as well as a rather rare vitamin K, a huge amount of minerals - phosphorus, copper, magnesium, zinc, potassium, calcium and iron.
We will talk about the benefits of all these elements a little later. Also in orange juice you can find amino acids that the human body is not able to synthesize on its own, and therefore it is necessary to use them with food. In addition, orange juice has a fairly high content of pectin substances.
Beneficial features
Thanks to this rich composition, orange juice has a huge amount of beneficial properties.
Firstly, such a number of macronutrients, in particular magnesium and potassium, give orange juice the right to be called one of the most effective preventive measures against strokes and heart attacks. It also helps strengthen blood vessels, which helps prevent a range of diseases. The iron in the composition has a beneficial effect on the condition of people with anemia. Carotene, tocopherol, along with ascorbic acid, are powerful antioxidants and excellent helpers in the fight against high cholesterol in the blood. Thanks to the complex effect of macronutrients on body cells, a rejuvenating effect is achieved. According to studies, a glass of orange juice consumed daily serves as a prophylactic against cancer.
Secondly, it is, of course, the benefits of such an indispensable vitamin as ascorbic acid. With flu and respiratory viral infections, a tasty drink helps maintain and restore immunity, and in combination with some other products, such as honey or ginger, it can even be an independent drug. Pectin substances in the composition help cleanse the intestines and rid them of toxins and toxins.
Potential harm
Orange juice has a fairly high biological activity, and therefore, with excessive consumption or the presence of certain diseases and predispositions, it can cause harm instead of benefit. So for whom, this drink can be not only not useful, but also dangerous? With caution, it should be used by people who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, stomach, or duodenum. With increased acidity of gastric juice, the use of citrus juices is also not recommended, as they can increase it even more. The content of glucose and fructose in the composition increases blood sugar and makes the drink harmful to diabetics. If you avoid these contraindications and carefully monitor your health, then orange juice will become your indispensable tool in maintaining your daily tone.
Making orange juice
With proper use, a morning glass of natural juice will give you a boost of energy and vigor for the whole day. It is recommended to prepare the juice just before you want to drink it, as some vitamins react over time with oxygen and break down, which reduces the benefits brought by the juice.
The easiest way to make juice from oranges:
- wash the fruit, cut in half, using a manual citrus juice squeezer to extract the juice;
- peel a few fruits and skip through an electric juicer.
Pure orange juice can be diluted with water in a ratio of 2: 1 and add sugar to taste, as well as the juice of one lemon. Such a drink will be not only tasty, but also healthy.