All over the world, orange juice is considered the most popular - this drink is drunk in the morning in its pure form or as one of the ingredients in a vitamin cocktail. Its life-giving power helps the body wake up, gives energy, vigor and a great mood for the whole day. However, do not forget about safety rules when drinking freshly squeezed orange juice - the benefits and harms of this drink may depend on both quantity and quality. Moreover, it does not benefit everyone.
General information
It should be taken into account that oranges are classified as allergenic foods. Orange juice retains almost all the qualities of fresh fruit, so people who are allergic to oranges should not drink orange juice.
Another disadvantage : due to the large amount of acids, fresh juice can damage tooth enamel. Therefore, it is advisable to drink it through a straw.
In other cases, orange juice will give the body energy, a good mood, and saturate it with useful vitamins and minerals.
Composition of orange juice
This wonderful tasty juice contains vitamins E, A, B, C, vitamin K (very important for the human body), beneficial minerals: magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, glucose, fructose, pectin.
Freshly squeezed orange juice, thanks to pectin, has a beneficial effect on intestinal function. The product stimulates digestion processes and prevents the proliferation of putrefactive bacteria in the intestines.
Don't think that the more freshly squeezed orange juice you drink, the healthier you will be. Everything is good in moderation. Orange juice contains a lot of acids and vitamins; an overdose can cause allergies and discomfort in the stomach.
Orange juice. Harm.
- A contraindication to drinking freshly squeezed orange juice is the presence of diseases of the digestive system, which are directly related to high levels of acidity.
- If a stomach ulcer or gastritis worsens, you will have to give up orange juice so as not to harm the body.
- People suffering from carbohydrate metabolic disorders should not drink this juice either, due to the increased glucose content in the juice, as well as fructose.
- Allergic reactions to both the juice and the fruit itself are not uncommon, especially in children; this is something that breastfeeding mothers should not forget about.
If you tolerate orange normally, you do not have an allergy to it or an individual intolerance to the fruit, then you can drink orange juice with pleasure. Just remember that everything is good in moderation, this is the only way the body will receive all the benefits from the juice.
Face masks are made from orange juice; you can find out more in the article “Orange for the face.” In the article you will find the benefits of orange for the face and the best recipes for making masks from orange and orange peel for the face.
Is any juice good for you?
For the body to benefit, you should drink freshly squeezed orange juice. That is: they washed the orange, squeezed the juice out of it and drank it. The shelf life of such juice is no more than 2 hours. The longer it is stored, the less beneficial substances will remain in it.
Store-bought juice contains a minimum of nutrients . When heated or other types of processing, amino acids are destroyed. Juice packages usually say 100% juice, but they are made from juice concentrate rather than fresh fruit.
Raw materials for juice are brought from warm countries. It is clear that transportation is not cheap, so to save weight, the juice is squeezed out of oranges and the water is evaporated from it. Concentrated juice takes up less space during transportation, but at the same time loses many useful substances. The concentrate is then diluted with water and put on sale. The result is a tasty drink, but it’s difficult to call it natural juice.
Orange juice obtained directly from the fresh fruit is very beneficial:
- strengthens the immune system;
- replenishes the daily requirement for microelements;
- normalizes cholesterol: removes bad cholesterol, good remains;
- cleanses the body;
- has a positive effect on cell membranes, rejuvenates the skin;
- improves mood;
- improves metabolic processes;
- eliminates salt deposits in the body;
- removes excess fats and bile;
- increases hemoglobin
Freshly squeezed juice can help the body with some ailments. The product is a good preventative against vitamin deficiency, colds, stomach and liver diseases.
The juice will help you recover faster from colds and flu. Vitamin C, which is part of it, will help activate the body's defenses.
It is recommended to include juice in the menu for vitamin deficiency, low immunity, and osteoporosis. Orange juice helps the body absorb calcium better. The product is useful for children during the period of active growth, since at this time the child’s body’s need for calcium is increased.
Drinking freshly squeezed orange juice daily is beneficial for preventing eye diseases. As is known, a lack of vitamin A negatively affects visual acuity. A tasty drink will help saturate your body with this vitamin.
Freshly squeezed orange juice has the ability to improve your mood. This quality can be used to improve mood and for various nervous disorders.
Orange juice helps smokers restore their supply of vitamin C, which is quickly destroyed by nicotine. It is advisable for nicotine lovers to drink a glass of freshly squeezed juice daily.
The product saturates skin cells with useful substances and heals the skin. Freshly squeezed orange juice is recommended for facial and body skin care. Daily consumption of freshly squeezed juice will have a beneficial effect not only on your health, but also on your appearance: a healthy complexion, shiny hair, strong nails have never spoiled anyone!
Beneficial properties of orange juice
Freshly squeezed orange juice contains about 30 compounds beneficial to the human body, which give the drink a rich orange color and also have a positive effect on the condition of human skin.
Vitamin C, which is rich in orange juice, has antioxidant properties. One glass of a refreshing drink contains the daily requirement of this vitamin!
Another useful substance contained in orange juice is the flavonoid hesperidin, which also has powerful antioxidant properties. It is important to note that in freshly squeezed juice the concentration of this substance is several times higher than in a whole orange. Scientists have also proven that the absorption of nutrients is better when consuming juice rather than the fruit itself.
Based on the research, experts came to the conclusion that orange juice protects the human body from various negative influences that arise as part of life and interaction with the environment.
How to make orange juice
Since citrus contains a large amount of ascorbic acid, to avoid oxidation, you should not use metal utensils when preparing juice. The best solution would be glass or ceramic dishes.
If you have a juicer at home with a special attachment for citrus fruits, there is no problem. In other cases, we squeeze the juice “by hand”: wash the orange, cut it in half and squeeze the juice with your hands. To squeeze out the juice, you can wrap the peeled orange halves in gauze and squeeze thoroughly, twisting the gauze into a rope.
Benefits of orange juice for the body
The drink contains an amazing composition of components that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of many life support systems. Freshly squeezed orange juice is like a vitamin bomb, healing everything that comes within its range of action. Let's take a closer look at what the benefits of this fresh juice are:
1. Orange juice benefits the cardiovascular system, strengthening the muscle itself and the walls of blood vessels, and cleanses the blood of cholesterol.
2. Due to the high content of vitamin C (one glass includes the daily requirement of ascorbic acid), the drink has a strengthening effect on the immune system and carries out restoration work after complicated diseases.
3. The benefit for women lies in the low calorie content of orange juice and its amazing taste: the citrus smell will help reduce the less pleasant aroma of other components of dietary dishes and drinks.
The “Korolek” orange is famous for its ability to speed up metabolism and actively burn fat deposits, leaving a feeling of fullness.
4. The antioxidant qualities of fresh juice increase the duration of the cell cycle and prevent premature aging and the appearance of wrinkles.
5. The drink helps normalize the functioning of the nervous system, increases the level of resistance to depression and fatigue, especially against the background of vitamin deficiency and exhaustion of the body.
6. The acids contained in orange juice increase gastric secretion and normalize intestinal function, improving the process of cleaning the gastrointestinal tract from deposits of toxic substances, eliminating the problem of constipation.
7. Fresh juice prevents the development of urolithiasis and removes excess fluid from the body.
8. Smokers are recommended to drink the drink to cleanse the body of nicotine deposits and strengthen capillaries that have lost their elasticity.
Thus, orange juice puts barriers to the development of many diseases:
- physical and nervous exhaustion,
- anemia,
- avitaminosis,
- atherosclerosis,
- joint pain,
- inflammatory processes in the oral cavity,
- dysfunction – for the liver and lungs,
- hypertension.
It is worth noting that in addition to freshly squeezed orange juice, you can drink packaged orange juice, making sure that the drink is natural. The safest formulations in the designation of the composition are: “directly pressed extract”, “reconstituted juice”. The more natural ingredients in the list (citric acid, sugar), the healthier the product. Give preference to glass packaging.
How to drink orange juice correctly
There are recommendations that advise drinking juice on an empty stomach. However, nutritionists advise drinking the drink after 20 minutes. after breakfast to protect the gastric mucosa from irritation.
If you can’t drink juice in the morning, you can drink a glass of drink 20 minutes before lunch or 40 minutes later. after eating. It is not recommended to drink juice immediately after eating, as fermentation may occur in the stomach.
It is not recommended to drink juice at night, as this can cause swelling.
If you decide to quench your thirst with juice, be sure to dilute it in equal parts with water.
It is not advisable to drink more than 500 ml of fresh orange juice per day. Ideally, 200 - 250 ml is enough.
Orange juice. How much can you drink?
When you first take it, you should limit yourself to a glass of only 50 ml of natural juice. They drink this juice on an empty stomach and then monitor the body’s reaction to the liquid entering the stomach.
If you do not feel nausea, pain, burning or heaviness in the digestive system, then you can safely drink juice and further increase the volume each time.
But even if your body does not signal in any way, remember that the maximum dose of a freshly squeezed drink should not exceed 1 liter.
Contraindications
The high acid content in freshly squeezed orange juice can have a negative effect on the gastric mucosa in case of gastritis with high acidity and other stomach diseases. To minimize the harmful effects, freshly squeezed orange juice is diluted by half with water.
Orange juice contains large amounts of sugar. Diabetes patients should remember this. In order not to harm the body, it is better to avoid drinking pure orange juice. After consulting a doctor, it is permissible to drink diluted juice.
During pregnancy, expectant mothers want something “tasty,” including freshly squeezed orange juice. But we must remember that at this time fresh juice in large quantities may not be very useful for the unborn child, since the product is allergenic.
How to drink orange juice correctly?
First of all, it is important to remember that any, even the most healthy product or substance, should be taken in moderation. This also applies to freshly squeezed orange juice. Nutritionists say that the optimal dose is one glass of juice daily. This is the amount of drink that allows you to get the required amount of vitamins and minerals that the human body needs.
Most experts advise drinking a glass of orange juice after a meal if lunch or dinner was heavy enough, thus reducing the negative impact of heavy food on the body.
Many people are afraid to introduce orange juice into their diet on a regular basis, because they think that the sugar content in the drink is too high, but in fact, no sugar is added to natural freshly squeezed juice, since the oranges from which it is made are themselves sweet enough for yourself.
Moreover, another advantage of orange juice is its low calorie content. 100 ml of juice contains about 43 kcal.
Nutritionists advise drinking orange juice on a regular basis for both adults and children. The drink is not contraindicated for pregnant women, since it contains folates, which have a positive effect on the formation and development of the fetus.