What does 100% pure squeezed oj mean?
I have a picture of an orchard in Florida full of golden oranges that are picked and then squeezed and the juice is put into cartons and delivered to supermarket.
It was quite a shock to learn from a study by the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy fellow A. Hamilton that the truth is quite different. Much of the juice was not recently or freshly squeezed — rather, it languishes in storage “tank farms” for up to a year.
The term “freshly squeezed” can be used as the oranges were freshly squeezed when they were picked but in order to keep juice from spoiling, the manufacturers use a system that removes the oxygen from the juice — a process that also removes the important compounds that make fresh orange juice taste so fragrant and fresh. The juice is then stored in industrial sized tanks for up to a year.
If you were to taste the juice coming out of these tanks, it wouldn’t taste like orange juice at all; it would just taste like sugar water.
To return the taste to the juice, the orange juice processors add flavor packs and fragrance packs to the oils and essences that are derived from orange by-products.
Manufacturers mix and match and come up with the flavor for their brand. Each brand has its owning individual trademark flavor; the most popular flavors emphasize a fresh flavor that we associate with fresh oranges.
What is misleading is that orange juice makers don’t have to provide information about these synthetically produced flavor packs on the carton because they’re made from orange by-products. Your glass of orange juice just isn’t as pure and simple as you are given to believe. If it says 100% pure squeezed orange juice you are not expecting a processed product.
In the study A. Hamilton said, “People do not realize that there is more vitamin C in a whole orange and it is better for you; and manufactures should be made to list these flavor packs on the carton so people have a clear idea of what they are buying”. Of course there are many supermarkets, restaurants and juice stalls that do make and sell real freshly squeezed juice. Freshly squeezed juice does not last more than a couple of days.
A glass of freshly squeezed juice concentrates the fruit sugar from several pieces of fruit into your glass of orange juice so you have a higher level of fruit sugar flowing into the body. This high level of fruit sugar is a risk factor for people with diabetes and contributes to obesity and so should be kept to a minimum. There are 115 calories in a glass of orange juice. Eating an orange followed by a glass of water is still the most healthy natural option and best way to give your family vitamin C.
We should have all the information on the product so we know exactly what it is that we are feeding our children. Fruit juice contains a lot of fruit sugar that is high in calories and should only be drunk once per day and then mixed with water.
You don’t need to stay under the sun for long, and you can benefit from the sun rays even on a cloudy day. For most of us, 10 minutes of exposure, wearing normal clothes — exposing just a bit of hands, arms and face — should supply you with all the Vitamin D you need. But those at risk or with a history of skin cancer or with sun sensitive skin conditions should check with their dermatologist first.
