Weight Loss Myth? Orange Juice is a Great Way to Start the Day

As more and more people start to look at healthier drink options for weight loss, some are asking whether orange juice is a great way to help with slimming down. To really evaluate orange juice in relation to weight loss, you have to look at the nutritional data for this fruit drink and understand the truth about what fruit juice is really made of.

Nutrition of Orange Juice

In general, orange juice is a healthy way to start the day. As a natural product of fruit, orange juice is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and elements like potassium that the body needs. However, it also has a large amount of the natural sugars included in the orange.

Orange juice is a concentrated form of the nutrition found in an orange. A typical glass of orange juice may include more than 20 g of sugars. This makes drinking orange juice for weight loss a dubious notion, according to some dedicated scientists, nutritionists and health professionals.

Drinking Orange Juice: Compared to Other Drinks

Nutritionists point out that from an overall health perspective, switching from cola or other soda to orange juice can improve your overall health and help with weight loss. That's because, although orange juice has lots of natural sugars, soda has more sugar, and not from fruit, but from corn syrup and other stuff, where drinkers get all of the calories and sugar with none of the vitamins. When people look at what they are actually drinking, a switch from soda to juice makes a lot of sense.

Individuals who want to drop pounds and still get some vitamins can do much better by diluting a glass of orange juice with water. One quarter orange juice and three quarters water makes a drink that is much lower in sugar, while still providing some of the essential nutrients. This kind of regimen won't be likely to get in the way of a weight loss plan. Fitness pros point out that in the end, water is the best choice at zero calories per glass. Watered down juice, though, is a good compromise and a top choice for those who are watching their waistlines. Be careful of fake juices that look like juice but use corn syrup and other ingredients instead of natural fruit.

A Great Way to Start the Day

Watering down juices is a great way for weight loss participants to start looking at how they begin each day. In addition, it helps to look at everything else on the breakfast table. Foods like fortified breakfast cereals may advertise themselves as nutritional choices, but just like orange juice, the relative benefits of these foods is a more complex issue when it comes to losing weight. Look for low calorie breakfast options to keep you full until lunchtime, and you'll be one step closer to a healthy diet that will help trim down body fat and reduce caloric intake for a healthy future.

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